The Quincy Hunter
by VenomSpider33
Summary: On a rainy October day, three month old Ichigo Kurosaki is left on the doorstep of Glynda Goodwitch. Armed with the power of an ancient order, watch as Ichigo Kurosaki-Goodwitch shows Vytal the Quincy's true power! IchigoxBlake, Others same as Emerald Knight.
1. Chapter 1

**Bleach/RWBY: the Quincy Hunter**

**A/N: this will feature my OC's from the Emerald Knight. The pairings will mostly be the same, with the exception of Blake and Ruby. Blake will be paired with Ichigo, and I'm still trying to figure out what to do with Ruby. The artwork belongs to Ifragmentix on deviantArt.**

October 10, 542 P.D.W (Post Dust War)

In the city of Vale, in front of a house, a set of Japanese rice doors opened, and out stepped two figures. One a man with short, dark hair and wearing a Haori with the kanji for 'ten' on it over a black kimono and the other a woman with long orange hair carrying a bundle. "I can't believe their making us do this, Isshin." The woman said.

"I know Masaki. Believe me, I'm as happy about this as you are, but unless we do this, they'll execute not only us, but Ryuken, Kisuke, Yoruichi, and the others. At least we know he'll be safe and able to have a life here, Masaki." Isshin said, and Masaki looked at the bundle in her arms, revealing a sleeping baby with orange hair.

"Little Ichigo, I'm sorry we won't get to see you grow up." Masaki said, tears welling in her eyes as she kissed the babies forehead. She set the baby on the doorstep, and pulled the bracelet with a silver cross on it off her wrist, placing it in the bundle. "So you can always have something to remember us by." She said, and knocked on the door, reading the name on the door. 'Ms. Goodwitch, please take care of my son.' She thought, and ran through the rice doors to join her husband, watching Ichigo as the doors closed, a tear falling down her face as the doors closed. The door of the house opened, and out stepped a blonde woman in her twenties.

"Who on earth could be knocking at this ungodly hour?" Glynda Goodwitch asked, looking around trying to spot the person who knocked on her door. "Probably just some kids." She mumbled, and was about to close the door when she noticed Ichigo on her doorstep. "Who the hell left a child here?" She said, and bent down to pick him up. "Come on, let's get you inside." She said, and noticed an envelope sticking out of the blanket. Pulling it out, she opened it and pulled out a letter.

To Glynda Goodwitch:

This is Ichigo Kurosaki. His name means 'one who protects' when written in our native language. His birthday is July 15th, and he is three months old. Circumstances beyond our control have forced us to give him up, and after very careful consideration, we have decided you are the best person to raise him. Believe us, there us nothing we want more than to keep him, but it's out of our hands. Either we give him up and allow him to have a life, or him, us, and our friends will all be killed.

He has tremendous potential, and the bracelet he has with him will enable him to use his abilities. If at any point he asks about anyone named Juha Bach, give him the bracelet, and tell him the answer lies within him. He will figure that out in time.

Please, all we ask is that you raise him and love him as if he was your own. Make sure he always knows he has a family that cares for and loves him very much.

Sincerely, Masaki Kurosaki and Isshin Shiba

Glynda read the letter at least a dozen times. These people choose HER to raise their son? She couldn't do this. Not only did she have her duties as a huntress, but she didn't have the slightest clue how to be a mom! But at the same time, she couldn't give him to the orphanages, as several of them were corrupt, selling children into slavery for a few Lien. The very idea sickened her to the core, and she was shaken out of her thoughts when Ichigo started to cry. "Oh dear." She said, and picked the baby up. All of a sudden, she remembered what her friend Summer Rose taught her when she babysat her adopted daughter Yang, and she started gently rocking Ichigo back and forth. "There there, it ok." She said, and she didn't know why, but standing here, the child in her arms, felt…right. Making up her mind then and there, she smiled at Ichigo. "Ichigo Kurosaki, huh?" She said, and Ichigo opened his brown eyes to look at her. "I guess I'm your new mommy."

Nine Years Later, July 15

"Ichigo, it's time to wake up." A voice said, rousing now nine-year old Ichigo Kurosaki from his sleep.

"5 more minutes mom." He said, rolling back onto his pillow. Glynda Goodwitch smirked, as she knew what would get him out of bed quickly.

"Are you sure? After all, today IS a special day after all Mr. 9-year old." She said, and suppressed a giggle as Ichigo sat straight up, the sleep completely gone from his eyes.

"Really? It's here already?" He said, and she nodded.

"Happy birthday Ichigo." She said, wrapping him in a hug. Even though she wasn't his birth mother, she loved him as if he were her own flesh and blood. "I hope your excited for the party this afternoon." She said, and Ichigo nodded as he got out of bed.

"You bet I am!" He said, stretching his legs as he walked to the kitchen, where a fresh plate of pancakes was calling his name.

'Ichigo.' Wait, did the pancakes ACTUALLY just call his name? He might be a kid, but that didn't mean he believed food could talk.

"Did you say something mom?" He asked, and Glynda looked at him in confusion.

"No. Why?" She asked.

"Never mind. I guess I'm still in dreamworld a little." He said, quickly dismissing the voice.

Later that day.

Ichigo was wiped. His birthday party had been a lot of fun, with games like Pin the Tail on the Beowolf and Hunters and Grimm, and he had gotten a lot of gifts too. But throughout the day, he'd had headaches at random moments. They went away quickly though, so he didn't te his mom about them."Ichigo, it's time for bed." Glynda said.

"But mom, I'm not even tired yet." He said, and promptly yawned, defeating his point.

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of Vale." Glynda said. "Doesn't change the fact that it's past your bedtime." She said. "Now brush your teeth and get ready for bed." She said, and Ichigo complied. Soon enough, Ichigo was asleep in bed, quickly collapsing into Morpheus's sweet embrace.

He found himself sitting on the side of skyscraper. "Whoa!" He said, and expected to fall, but to his surprise, he stayed in place. Sitting up, he found that the skyscraper was sideways. "I've never had a dream like this before." He said.

"This is no dream." A voice said behind him, and Ichigo turned to see a man in a long brown coat with brown hair and a goatee on his face.

"Who are you? Why is everything all sideways?" Ichigo asked.

"My name is Juha Bach, and this is your inner world." The man said.

"My inner world? What's that?"

"Your inner world is the manifestation of your soul, and it changes depending on your mood. For example, when you're sad or depressed, it begins to rain, and when you are happy or excited, the sun becomes blindingly bright." Juha explained.

"Why am I here?" Ichigo asked, still a little confused on who this man was.

"Because, it is time for you to awaken your full potential." Juha said. "The potential to be one of the strongest warrior this planet has ever seen." Now Ichigo was even more confused. He had just turned nine for Dust's sakes, he wasn't any ultimate warrior or something.

"How are you going to do that?" Ichigo asked.

"Ask your mother about me. She will set you on the correct path, and I will give you training." Juha said.

"Why should I listen to you? My mom said never to trust strangers, even if they seem nice." Ichigo said, causing Juha to chuckle.

"Ichigo, I am no stranger to you. I have been with you your entire life, watching as you grew up." Juha said. "Now, it is time to awaken. Your mother is calling you." Juha said, and watched as Ichigo disappeared from the world.

"Ichigo, wake up. I want to be sure that you're up and fed before I have to leave for work." Glynda called. Ichigo rubbed the sleep from his eyes and got out of bed, walking to the kitchen.

"Mom, have you ever heard of anyone named Juha Bach?" He asked, and her eyes widened. She kept the bracelet and letter that were with Ichigo when he showed up on her doorstep, waiting for the day when she would give it to him. Looks like that day has finally arrived.

"Wait right here. I'll be right back." She said, and retrieved the bracelet from her jewelry box. She walked back into the kitchen handing Ichigo the bracelet. "This was with you when you showed up at my doorstep. With it was a letter from your birth parents, which you will get when you are older, saying that I should give this to you should you ever ask about that name." She explained and Ichigo looked at the bracelet. Somehow it felt…right. He felt power spread through his body, and he could hear Juha Bach in his head.

'Ichigo, this is the first of many steps we will take together.' The Ancient Quincy said.

"Now, Aunt Summer's going to come by with Yang and Ruby in a few minutes, and I'll be off. Be good, and be sure to say 'please' and 'thank you'." Glynda said, and the doorbell rang. Glynda answered it to reveal a woman with silver eyes, red hair, and a white cloak, with two girls, one a nine-year old blonde girl, and a seven-year old with red hair and silver eyes.

"Summer, thanks for coming!" Glynda said, giving her old friend a hug.

"It's no problem. I love watching him, and Ruby and Yang love playing with him." Summer said, and Yang went over to Ichigo, Ruby close behind her.

"Hey Ichigo!" She said, and noticed his bracelet. "Whoa, that's a cool bracelet. Where'd you get it?"

"My mom have it to me. She said it was something my birth parents left with me." He said. Ruby stared at the bracelet in awe.

"It's pretty." She said.

"Thank you." He said. In his Inner World, Juha Bach stood above a manhole, staring down into it. Inside it was a creature with a skeletal mask and two bullhorns.

'It seems that I was not the only part of Masaki's reiryoku that was transferred to Ichigo, and it seems to have mixed with his fathers. I hope Ichigo may use you not only as a sword to strike down his enemies, but as a shield to protect those precious to him one day, when he can no longer draw on my power. Farewell for now… Zangetsu.' He said, sliding the manhole cover on.

That night.

Summer checked the clock. Any minute now, Glynda would be back from work, and she and the girls could go home. "Mommy, I'm tired." Ruby said. Summer smiled at her biological daughter, Yang already fast asleep on her lap.

"We just have to wait for Auntie Glynda to come back, and then we can go home." She said, when the door opened, an exhausted Glynda walking in.

"A Beowolf, a Nevermore, a Kraken, even a Dust-damned Golem would have been better than that!" She said, lazily kicking her shoes off.

"So what opponent did the mighty Glynda Goidwitch face today?" Summer asked.

"Paperwork." Glynda said. "If Ozpin had told me about the paperwork, all the applications for new students, mission requests, junk mail, complaints, budget management, I wouldn't have taken the job at Beacon!" Glynda said. "Where's Ichigo?"

"I think he went into his room an hour and a half ago, saying he was going to bed. Well, bye Glynda. Me and the girls need to head home." Summer answered. Glynda bid her friend goodbye as Summer took her daughters and left, and walked up the stairs to Ichigo's room, when to her surprise she heard what sounded like pained grunts coming from Ichigo's room. Fearing the worst, she grabbed her wand and flung open the door, where to her surprise Ichigo was holding up his right arm, the bracelet on his wrist glowing, blood running down his arm.

"I'm trying Juha!" He grunted out.

'Ichigo, concentrate your spirit energy into the cross, then expand it. But don't be in a rush to do this so quickly. It's only been an hour, and it took me weeks to-' Juha started when Ichigo took a deep breath, and to both Glynda and Juha's surprise, a blue bow made out of energy appeared in his hand.

"I-Ichigo?" Glynda stuttered out, when the bow disappeared and he fell to the ground. "Ichigo! Are you alright? Say something!" She said.

"I did it." He mumbled out.

8 years later, Signal Academy.

A young man with orange hair walked the halls of Signal, for what was probably the last time. His clothing consisted mostly of white material, with a bit of blue. He wore white trousers, white and blue trench boots with a design that resembled a cross, a white, double-breasted trench coat with shoulder straps and a white button down bib. The coat was bound at the waist with a black belt that had a decorative buckle and a hood that Ichigo mainly kept down. Across his hips he wore a separate belt that contained several silver tubes, and on his left leg was a pouch containing more tools of his trade. (For a visual cue, go here fs71/PRE/i/2012/330/c/e/ichigo_quincy_by_ ) On his right wrist, he wore a five pointed cross, replacing the cross his birth parents had given him, although he still kept that on a necklace he wore around his neck, having created a more powerful version years ago.

This young man was Ichigo Kurosaki, adopted son of Glynda Goodwitch, and the only Quincy in Vytal. Soon, he would be going to Beacon Academy, where his mother worked, and begin training to be become an official Huntsman. "I'm gonna miss this place." He said.

'Yes, but think of all the new friends you will make at Beacon.' Juha said to his descendant.

"I know, but still, this place holds a lot of memories." Ichigo said, when a classroom door next to him opened, and out stepped a man with dusty blonde hair.

"Ah, Ichigo, perfect! Can you come in here for a second?" The man asked.

"Sure, Professor Crow. What do you need?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, today our lesson is about Giant Armors, and I was planning on demonstrating different methods of how to fight one, but I'm afraid I'm not as young as I would like to be, and pulled a hamstring this morning durning my warm up. Would you mind taking my place in the demonstration?" Crow asked.

"No problem." The orange-haired teen said, and entered the classroom. He walked into the center of an arena, where a group of students were in the stands.

"Students, due to an unforeseen injury, I'm afraid I will be unable to carry out the demonstration today." Crow said, earning a groan from the students. "Now normally I'd have to assign you all some bookwork, but as luck would have it, I've found a volunteer to feel in for me. Please welcome fourth-year student Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo walked into the center of the arena. "Ruby, if you'd please start the demonstration."

"Sure thing Uncle Crow!" Ruby said, now wearing her mothers cloak, only something had caused it to turn red after Summer died two years ago. She hit a button on a control panel, and the cage on the other side of the arena opened, out running four giant Armors. Ichigo used Hirenkyaku, a Quincy technique used for high speed movement, to dodge the swing of an armor with an axe, and channeled his aura into his blood vessels.

"Blut: Vene." He said, and used his arm to block the swing of an armor wielding a sword. He backed away and deactivated the Blut technique, and rolled underneath an armor with a spear's legs, drawing one of the tubes on his belt. "Seele Schneider." A blade of blue light erupted from the tube, and Ichigo bisected the spear-holding armor. "If you don't destroy a seal made of blood located in the interior of the armor, or if you don't damage it enough, you won't be able to destroy the armor." Ichigo said to the class, when the axe armor made him dodge, but he dropped his Seele Schneider. He recovered, and took four small capsules out of the pouch on his leg and tossed them near the sword-armor and the axe armor. "Feel the wrath of battle and accept this sacred chalice- Heizen!" He chanted, and four beams of light shot out of the capsule, slicing the Armors into pieces. All that was left was an armor wielding a mace, and Ichigo held out his right arm, the pentacle-shaped cross hanging loose. It glowed before blue energy spread out resembling a spiderweb. "Ginrei Kojaku." He picked the tube up, the blade springing back to life, and he nocked the tube onto the energy string, before letting it fly. It hit the armor straight in the chest, absorbing the magic used to power it. It thudded to the ground, before dissolving. The class all clapped for him.

"Excellent as always Mr. Kurosaki. Thank you, and best of luck at Beacon." Crow said, shaking Ichigo's hand.

"You're welcome, and thank you professor." Ichigo said, and the bell rang signifying the day was over.

"Ichigo!" Ruby said, and made her way to her old friend. "I can't believe that you and Yang are leaving for Beacon next semester." She said, sad at seeing her big sister and the guy she saw as a big brother leave for the school of her dreams.

"Hey, don't be so sad. Keep up the good work, and who knows? Maybe you'll be there with us this year." He said, making Ruby giggle.

"I doubt it." She said.

"I mean it. You're one of the best fighters I know, even better than a lot of the kids in my class, and it takes skill to wield a scythe like that. Keep it up, and you'll be with us at Beacon before you know it." He said.

"You really think so?" She asked, and Ichigo nodded, before ruffling her hair.

"I've gotta get home. Stay strong, Little Red." He said, before leaving Signal for what was probably the last time. He soon arrived at the Goodwitch household using Hirenkyaku. Now all he had to do was find something to keep him occupied for three months until the school year at Beacon started. "What to do…" He mumbled, when his phone went off. Pulling it out, he saw a picture of everyone's favorite blonde. "Hey Yang."

"Ichi my man! How's it hangin'? You bored yet?" His childhood friend asked.

"Do you even need to ask?" He said.

"That's what I thought. Me and a few of the others were getting together to celebrate the end of school, and we wanted to know if you were wanted in." Yang asked.

"Sure. Where are we meeting?" Ichigo asked.

"At the Blood Gulch Cafe." Yang replied.

"I'll be right over." The Quincy said.

"Awesome. Oh, and give the others some time to get there, so don't use that teleporting hing you do." The busty blonde said.

"Yang, Hirenkyaku isn't teleportation. I channel my aura to my feet and-" Ichigo tried explaining.

"Yeah yeah, spare me the lecture Professor Kurosaki." Yang cut him off. Ichigo had explained all his techniques to her a hundred times, but he knew she liked to mess with him some times.

"Alright. I'll be there in twenty minutes." He said, and opened the garage to reveal a white motorcycle. He pulled on his helmet, which was white with a blue Quincy cross on the back,and drove off down the street. Soon, he pulled up next to Yang's parked motorcycle, and saw his blonde best friend leaning against the side of their favorite cafe.

"Yo." Yang said, waving at him as he stepped off the bike. "York and Carolina had to cancel, and North said South punched yet ANOTHER cop."

"Sheesh, the twins I can under stand, but York and Carolina?" Ichigo asked. Those two were the graduating class's 'will they won't they' couple, and the two had been sending each other signals they liked each other all the way back in middle school.

"Turns out our favorite locksmith decided to ask her out, and so now their doing…something. I couldn't really understand what Carolina was saying with York's tongue being shoved down her throat." Yang said. "Wash, Maine, and CT are here though. So yeah, there's them."

"Wonderful." Ichigo said, his trademark scowl crossing his face.

"Loose the scowl strawberry. We're supposed to be celebrating, remember?" Yang said. Ever since a grade school project where they had to find out the meaning of their names where Ichigo found out his name meant 'strawberry' in a language called 'Japanese', Yang hadn't let him live it down.

"Shut up Blondie. Did you forget how accurate I am?" He growled, having shot off parts of Yang's precious mane on more than one occasion.

"Did you forget what happened the last time you did that?" Ichigo winced at the memory. Three broken ribs, first-degree burns all over his body…not even Blut: Vene protected him from the juggernaut that was Yang Xiao Long.

"Of course I remember. I spent a week in the hospital." He said.

"Damn right. Now, you excited about Beacon?" She asked.

"Of course. Beacon's been our goal since we were kids." Ichigo replied. The blonde brawler and the Quincy archer were among the first accepted into Beacon. Of course, a lot of Ichigo's enemies, like that Cardin guy he met when he travelled to Sanctum for an exhibition, thought he merely got into Beacon because his mother was the headmaster's assistant, but they quickly shut up when he showed them how he could put an arrow between a Beowolf's eyes from 5 miles away.

"Have you already picked out who your teammate is?" Yang asked, causing Ichigo to smirk.

"You know me. As long as they're not assholes, I don't care."

White Castle

Weiss Schnee walked the halls of her family's ancestral home, bored out of her mind. She had been accepted into Beacon, but that was no surprise to her. Considering how her teacher had literally beaten everything she needed to know into her, her skills meant she would no doubt be out in the advance class. When she had first said she wanted to be a huntress, her bastard of a grandfather tried to cut her off, but her father gave her his full support. Not surprising, considering how he had gone to Beacon mainly to say 'fuck you' to his father, and he saw that she truly wanted to be a huntress. She only wished HE was here, coming with her to the school of their dreams, walking by her side. It had been two years since she last saw him, and she prayed he was alright. "Ms Schnee?" Her butler, Walter, said. "You have a guest."

"If it's another reporter, tell them to piss off." She said.

"Actually, Ms Schnee, I believe this guest is one you don want to turn away." Walter said, and Weiss could practically hear the smile in his voice.

"Alright." She said, and followed her butler down to the main entrance of the castle, seeing someone behind a door. "I swear, if this is another 'marriage candidate', I'm stabbing that bastard through his-" she started, when she opened the door, seeing a face she had wanted to see for a while. "E-Ed?" She stuttered out, for standing there was her long absent boyfriend, Edward Gawain, a sword strapped to the back of a green hoodie with a black vest over it.

"What's this I hear about marriage candidates?" He asked, and she embraced him.

"I'm so happy to see you!" She sobbed out, unable to stop the tears of joy from pouring out as she kissed all over his face.

"I'm glad to see you too Weiss, but maybe we can do this when we DON'T have an audience." Ed said, and she looked behind them to see two dark haired teenagers, one wearing a blue leisure suit with a massive cross on his back, the other dressed in a black leather jacket over a Freelancer t-shirt, a quiver of arrows on his back.

"Don't mind us. Go on." The one with the arrows said, and Weiss blushed.

"Um, Ed, who are these guys?" She asked.

"The idiot with the cross is Damian Cross, and the jerk with the arrows is Allen Poe." Ed replied. "They're good friends of mine, saved my life more times than I can count."

"Yo." Damian said.

"Sup." Al said.

"So what are they doing here?" Weiss asked.

"They're coming to Beacon with us." Ed replied. Her mind took a moment to process what he said.

"Us? You mean-?"

"Yep. We've all been accepted into Beacon." Ed said. Weiss was happy beyond belief. The man she loved would now be attending the same school as her, but at the same time she was worried. What if the White Fang went after Ed because of his involvement with her?

"Don't worry about the White Fang, Weiss. I can more than handle myself now, as they've leaned more than a few times." Ed said, kissing her head. "Now, I believe we have some catching up to do."

Three months later.

Ichigo sat crossed legged in front of a mat containing his Quincy gear. 'Alright, let's go through the checklist.' Juha said.

"Alright." Ichigo said.

'30 Ginto.'

"Check."

'20 Seele Schneider.'

"Check."

'Ginrei Kojaku.'

"Check."

'Well, that seems to be just about everything. I sense your mother is nearing here, and she seems stressed.' Juha said.

"Trust me Juha, I sensed her coming a mile away." Ichigo said. Soon enough, the car of Glynda Goodwitch pulled into the driveway. Soon, she slammed the door behind her and flopped face first on the couch. "Rough day at work?"

"Turn on the news." She muttered, and Ichigo did just that.

"A robbery at From Dust Til Dawn, one of Vales premier Dust Shops, by the infamous criminal Roman Torchwick and an unknown associate was thwarted by a young girl." The reporter said, and Ichigo sweat dropped as he saw Ruby fighting Torchwick.

"She didn't." He said.

"She did." Glynda mumbled.

"How much trouble is she in?" The young Quincy asked his mother.

"None actually. Ozpin talked to her and now she's going to Beacon." Glynda answered. Ichigo couldn't help but chuckle at that. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just that on my last day at Signal, I told Ruby that if she kept up the hard work maybe she'd be at Signal this year." He said.

"Well, starting tomorrow, she will be." She said.

"Something tells me that you're not upset about her being admitted into Beacon two years early." Ichigo said, and Glynda sat up.

"On the contrary, I couldn't be prouder. It's just…Summer was my best friend, and when she died I promised her I would look after Ruby. When I saw her fighting Roman, I was scared she was going to die." She said.

"Well, don't worry. I'll make sure she's alright while we're at Beacon. If Roman or his partner come after her for revenge-" he said, activating a Seele Schneider. "-I'll show them what I'm made of." Glynda smiled at her son.

"I know you will. Now get to bed. The airship leaves first thing tomorrow morning." She said, and he saluted her, a smirk on his face.

"Yes ma'am."

**A/N: and thus, a Quincy!Ichigo fic is born! There are seriously not enough of these around. This will follow not only the main storyline of RWBY, but also have plot lines of my own creation, just like what happened in Emerald Knight. Now, for what I'm going to do with Ruby's pairing: I don't have a single. Fucking. Clue. I think I'll just create another supporting character, maybe one of her friends at Signal. And don't worry, I'll elaborate on why Masaki and Isshin had to give up Ichigo. All in due time, my friends. Until then, please review and follow!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Shining Beacon

Ichigo stood on the airship, looking over the city of Vale. 'Is everything alright?' Juha asked. In Ichigo's inner world, the sky was overcast, usually meaning he was troubled by something.

"It's just…that girl I ran into outside the airship." Ichigo said.

Flashback: 2 hours ago

Ichigo was saying goodbye to his friends, and was about to get on the ship when a black blur bumped into him, seeing them both tumbling to the ground. Ichigo saw the person who knocked him over was a girl with black hair, a bow in her hair, a cleaver-like sheath on her back, but her most memorable feature were her dazzling amber eyes. Ichigo was lost in them for a few seconds, before snapping back to reality. "Sorry about that. Here, let me help you up." He said, and extended his hand. She took it and he hoisted her off the ground.

"Thanks." She said, and entered the airship, leaving a confused Ichigo behind.

End Flashback

"I don't know why, but I can't stop thinking about her." Ichigo said.

'There was something strange about her spiritual pressure. Almost as if she was scared for her life.' Juha said.

"I felt it too. Nervous basically describes almost all of the first years here, especially him." Ichigo said, looking at a scraggly blonde boy who looked like he was going to be sick. "But her's…she was truly, genuinely frightened, almost as if she thought she was being chased."

'I'm sure we haven't seen the last of her. Who knows, maybe you'll end up on the same team together.' The Quincy King said.

"Well, can't let it get to me." Ichigo said, and felt Ruby and Yang's auras behind him. He walked up to them, and heard the end of a conversation that had something to do with knees. "Hey guys. What's up?"

"Ruby here is content with just being normal knees!" Yang said.

"Don't even wanna know. So, Ruby, how'd your uncle take the news?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, he was mad, and said, and I quote, 'how can you do something so pigheaded and stupid? I thought you were the calm one!' Ruby said, doing her best impersonation of Crow. "Then he threatened to take away my sweets, but then he said I did exactly what my mother would have done when she was my age."

"Well, I'm sure that wherever your parents are, they're proud of you." Ichigo said, when Ichigo noticed the black haired girl from before. 'Her again…' he thought, and was about to go talk to her when the news screen was replaced by Glynda.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch. We will be arriving at Beacon soon. Please prepare to exit the ship in a calm, orderly fashion." She said, before winking off the screen."

"Guess it won't be long before our new lives start." Ruby said, and out of the corner of his eye Ichigo noticed the blonde boy he saw earlier run away from the window vomiting.

"Guess the view isn't for everyone." Ichigo said.

"Aw Yang, gross! You've got puke on your shoes!" Ruby said.

"Gross gross gross gross gross!" Yang said, desperately trying to flick the puke off.

"Hey watch it! Vomit doesn't wash off this suit easy!" Ichigo yelled, jumping back to avoid the contents of the blonde boy's stomach.

"Get it off get it off!" Yang yelled, and hopped over to the ships restroom to wash off her shoes.

"Sheesh, some people just can't control their stomachs." Ichigo said. He looked at the spot the girl was, but saw she wasn't there anymore. He'd find her later. Right now, he had to make sure none of the barf got on the expensive material that made up his outfit. He felt hot breathe on his neck, and turned to see an orange haired girl standing WAY too close for comfort. "Gah!"

"You and I have the same colored hair." She said, pointing at their heads. "Isn't that awesome?! Though not NEARLY as awesome as sloths, right?"

"Uh, sure. Whatever you say." Ichigo answered.

"You know what else is awesome? My big-ass hammer!" She said, and soon Ichigo was knocked to the ground as she pulled out, true to her word, a big-ass hammer.

"Um, I don't think you're allowed to take out your weapon on the ship. Also, where the hell did you keep that thing?" Ruby said, but the girl ignored her.

"It's called Magenhild. It also shoots grenades and make things go BOOM! Isn't that awesome?" She said.

"Nora, you're not supposed to have your weapon out in the ship." A boy with a ponytail that had a pink streak through it said.

"I know Ren, but this guy asked me to take it out!" Nora said.

"I didn't say anything like that! You said something about sloths then pulled out your hammer!" Ichigo said. Ren looked at Nora, who giggled before putting away her weapon.

"Sorry about her." Ren said, helping Ichigo off the ground. "She tends to get…excited sometimes."

"She seems a bit TOO excited if you ask me." Ichigo said.

"This is actually a fairly normal amount of excitement for her. When she gets REALLY excited…" Ren shuddered. "I still have nightmares about the last time."

"Oh come on Ren, you're no fun! I mean sure the janitor's going to be in therapy the rest of his life, but at least he's alive!" Nora said.

"Barely." Ren muttered. "Names Lie Ren, and she's Nora Valkyrie."

"Ichigo Kurosaki, and Little Red Riding Hood here is Ruby Rose." Ichigo said, pointing to Ruby, who was still wondering where Nora kept her giant war hammer. Nora saw something behind Ichigo, and darted off in a cloud of pink dust.

"Well, I'd better make sure she doesn't cause the ship to crash. Wouldn't be the first time." He said, muttering the last part as he walked away.

"Well that was…a thing." Ichigo said, and Yang exited the bathroom, all traces of vomit gone from her shoes.

"What'd I miss?" She asked.

"I'm not entirely sure." Ruby said.

"Ooooook. Don't know what that means." Yang said, and the doors of the airship opened, signaling they had arrived at Beacon. They stepped off, and Ruby was immediately awestruck at seeing all the weapons, going into what everyone had dubbed her 'chibi form.'

"Oh oh! That girl has a fire sword! *Gasp* and that guy has a lightning staff." She said, pointing eagerly at all the weapons.

"What, you already tired of the one you got?" Ichigo asked, and Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose.

"Of course not, I'd never give up Crescent Rose. It's just…I always like seeing new weapons, they're like an extension of our souls. It's like meeting new people, only better." She said.

"Well, that's why you should start making new friends." Yang said.

"But why would I need new friends when I've got you guys?" The silver-eyes cookie lover asked, and Ichigo started walking away.

"I need to find where we're supposed to go." He said, and Ruby turned to her sister.

"Well, the thing is…" a bunch of people suddenly appeared around Yang. "…my friends are already here. Bye!" She said, zooming away, leaving a disoriented Ruby.

"Wait! Where do I go? What do I do? Yang!" She said, and tripped over a bunch of luggage.

"You idiot!"

Ichigo walked through the courtyard, looking for a teacher, soon seeing one. "Professor Port!" He said, and the burly man with a mustache turned to him.

"Well, if it isn't Ichigo Kurosaki-Goodwitch, finally here as a student! Why, it seems like only yesterday I was watching your mother bring you with her to work for the first time!" Port said, and Ichigo guessed he was smiling. He could never tell what Port's mouth was doing, in fact for as long as he could remember Port's mustache had been there, staying the exact same size.

"Good to see you too professor. Say, do you know where the freshman orientation is?" Ichigo asked, in the distance he heard an explosion, but thought nothing of it.

"Why of course I do! It's being held in the auditorium in five minutes. You'd better hurry, and remember, stay vigilant!" The large man said.

"Thank you professor." Ichigo said, and felt out for Ruby's aura. He sensed she was with the blonde boy who threw up on the ship, and while they were a bit turned around, they were heading to the right direction. "Alright. Now, with any luck, nothing bad will happen." He said, and walked off towards the auditorium.

As it turns out, Ichigo wasn't that lucky.

Don't get me wrong. The first part of the orientation went great. He half-listened to Ozpin's speech, as he had heard it a hundred times, having practically grown up at Beacon. After the speech, he saw Ruby and Yang. "So, how're things going for you two?" He asked.

"I exploded." Ruby said, and Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"That was you? What did you do?" He asked.

"It wasn't my fault! First you and Yang left, then I tripped, then there was this really mean white girl!" The red-haired girl said.

"You again!" An irritated voice said.

"Oh no it's happening again!" Ruby said, jumping into Ichigo's arms. Ichigo looked in the direction of the voice to see Weiss and a confused Ed.

"Weiss, who are these people?" Ed asked.

"That's the dunce who nearly blew me off the side of the cliff!" Weiss said.

"Oh my god you really exploded/that really happened." Yang and Ed said at the same time.

"Weiss, I'm sure she didn't mean to do that. Right?" Ed asked Ruby.

"I don't care! She's a hazard to my health, and I will not rest until I know she doesn't pose a threat." Weiss said.

"I'm not a threat! I just want to be friends!" Ruby said, hopping out of Ichigo's arms. "What do you say, Weiss?" The Schnee Heiress's face said she was unamused, and she pulled out a pamphlet with 'Dust for Inadequate Individuals' written on it.

"Oh my god you brought the pamphlet." Ed said.

"The Schnee Dust Company is not liable for any injury caused by…" Weiss said, and as she lectured Ruby, Ichigo turned to Ed.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked.

"We got of the airship, and I left for not even five minutes to get directions. When I came back, there were scorch marks and a very pissed off Weiss. She said that a, and I quote, 'red wearing moron tried blowing me up' and after that it just sorta turned into rambling. I think I caught something about a 'black haired upstart', but other than that I have no idea." Ed said, and extended his hand. "Ed Gawain. Sorry about her, she's not normally like this."

"Don't worry about it. Ichigo Kurosaki." The Quincy said, shaking the Emerald Knight's hand, when they heard Weiss say something about 'proper dust carrying'.

"Crap, she's starting to talk about the correct way to handle dust. Well, I'd better make sure Weiss doesn't kill your friend. See ya around." Ed said, and pulled his girlfriend away from the poor redhead.

"Sheesh, wonder what her problem is." Yang said.

"Probably just a little high strung. That IS the Schnee Heiress after all." Ichigo said.

That Night

"Whatcha doin?" Yang, now wearing a t-shirt and short shorts, asked her sister, who was writing on a piece of paper.

"I promised the gang back at Signal I'd write to them about life at Beacon." Ruby, dressed in a black shirt with a Rose on it and white pajama pants with roses on them, said. "Though today hasn't really been the best first day."

"At least you made a new friend. Jeaune's pretty nice." Ichigo, now wearing a purple muscle shirt and black sweatpants, said.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend. So back to zero." Ruby said.

"What about that Ed guy? At least he came up to us after that and apologized for her." Yang said.

"And Nora and Ren seem like nice people." Ichigo said.

"Alright, I get it. But still, I don't Weiss to be mad at me for four years just because of an accident." Ruby said.

"Well, think of it this way: you've made at least one friend, and one enemy. That's good!" Yang said, and was rewarded with Ruby's pillow meeting her face. Ruby looked up from her writing, and saw someone across the room.

"That girl…" she said, and Ichigo looked where she was looking to see the girl from outside the ship, wearing what looked like a black yukata.

"Her again…" he muttered.

"You guys know her?" Yang asked.

"Not really. She bumped into me outside the airship."

"And she was there on the cliff after I exploded. I didn't catch her name." Ruby said, and Yang got up and grabbed her sister and her friend's wrists.

"Well, now's the chance for you guys to go say hi!" She said, and began dragging them, despite the protests of her two victims.

Blake was trying to read her book, when she heard what sounded like struggling in front of her. Looking up, she saw the boy she had bumped into outside the airship and the girl who exploded being dragged by a girl with long blonde hair. "Hellloooooo. I believe you three know each other." Yang said, and Blake looked at Ruby.

"Aren't you the girl who exploded?" She asked, and Ruby nervously smiled.

"Uh, yeah. My name's Ruby. But you can just call me Crater…just call me Ruby." The scythe wielder said.

"Ok." Blake said.

"What are you doing?" Yang whispered.

"I don't know…help me!" Ruby said, and Ichigo watched with amusement as the scene unfolded.

"So, what's your name?" Yang asked. Blake's irritation was steadily growing as she was kept from reading.

"Blake." She said.

"Well Blake, I'm Ruby's older sister, Yang. I like your bow." The brawler said.

"Thanks." The bookworm said.

It goes great with your, uh, pajamas." The party girl said.

"Thanks." Blake said as Ruby laughed uncomfortably.

"Nice night don't you think?" Yang asked.

"Yes, it's lovely. Almost as lovely as this book." Blake said, and the three stood there. "Which I will continue to read." The three blinked. "As soon as you are all gone."

"Yeah this girl's a lost cause." Yang said.

"What's it about?" Ruby asked. Blake was startled for a moment. No one had ever been interested in her books. Not since Adam anyway.

"It's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control of his body." Blake said.

"Well that's…cheery." Yang said.

"My mom used to read to me all the time, at least one story every night before bed. All those stories of heroes and monsters are what made me want to become a Huntress." Ruby said, and Blake chuckled.

"Hoping you'll live happily ever after?" She asked.

"Well, I'm hoping everyone will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like the heroes in the books. Someone who fought for what's right, and protected those who couldn't protect themselves." Ruby said.

"That's very ambitious…for a child. But unfortunately, the real world isn't like the stories." Blake said, and Ruby's face fell.

"I know. About a year after I was born, my dad got really sick and died, so I don't really have any memories of him, and my mom died a few years ago fending off a bunch if Beowolves." She said, then a small smile appeared on her face. "But that's why we're here: to make sure that doesn't happen to anyone else."

"Oh I am so proud of my little sister!" Yang said, lifting Ruby off the ground in a hug.

"Cut it out!" Ruby said, and a dust cloud of flying limbs and stars appeared.

"Sheesh, these two." Ichigo said, and turned to Blake. "Ichigo Kurosaki. Sorry for bumping into you outside the ship." He said, and Blake giggled.

"Don't worry about it…strawberry." She said, and Ichigo's face turned red.

"H-how-?!" He stuttered out.

"I had a lot of free time as a kid, so I looked up old languages." She said.

"I'll have you know, my name is written as 'one who protects in Japanese! I'm not a freakin' strawberry!" He said, and Blake giggled. He was kinda cute when he got all worked up like that… she quickly did her best to conceal the blush on her face. Where the hell did that come from?

"What in the world is going on over here?" The shrill voice of Weiss said as she barged into the scene dressed in a blue evening gown with her hair down.

"Oh no, not you again!" She and Yang exclaimed at the same time.

"Not again." Ichigo said, and as the three girls began to bicker, Blake rolled her eyes and turned off the light.

**A/N: heads up peeps. I just wanna say don't expect me to drag out the Catberry build up. Yeah, that's right, I already made a name for Ichigo and Blake! Anyways, I'm not Codaram, jbriz, or ND2014: I HATE dragging out romances. It'll probably be like, one or two chapters after Players and Pieces. Remember, leave those reviews and follows!**


	3. Chapter 3: The First Step

Chapter 3: the First Step

The Locker Rooms of Beacon were abuzz with activity, with Freshman at every end preparing for the initiation. "I feel like Weiss doesn't like me for some reason." Al said as he began pulling on his armor.

"Well it could be A:your half-Faunus; B:your a mercenary; C:your the last of an ancient order of assassins; or D:that time you walked in on her in the shower." Damian said as he checked Crucifix's ammunition.

"How was I supposed to know she had just gotten out of the shower? For such a big place, there aren't that many bathrooms." Al said as he slid Nevermore into its sheath on his back, and stuffed his mask into his bag. In another part of the room, Ruby, Ichigo, and Yang were getting ready. "So, you seem awfully chipper this morning." Yang said, as Ruby tied her cloak around her neck.

"Yep! No more awkward small talk or 'getting to know you' stuff. Today, I let my sweetheart do the talking." Ruby said as she stroked Crescent Rose.

"Remember Ruby, your not the only one going through initiation." Ichigo said as he put five Seele Schneiders on his belt. "You might as well try to get to know people and learn to work with them. It'll help you grow up."

"Ugh, you sound like Uncle Crow." Ruby said as she folded her weapon back up. "First of all: what does knowing people have to do with fighting? Secondly: I don't need people to grow up. I drink MILK!"

"What about when teams are made?" Yang asked as she pulled on her bracelets.

"Um, I don't know…I'll just be on a team with you guys!" Ruby said.

"Maybe you could try being on someone else's team." Ichigo said.

"Ichigo, are you implying that you and my dear sister Yang do not wish to be on a team with me?" Ruby asked.

"What? No! That's completely-"

"Ridiculous!" Jeaune said as he walked through the room. "I know I didn't put my stuff in locker 636. I'd remember counting that high!" He said, as he walked by Ed and Weiss talking to a flame haired girl with vivid green eyes.

"So Pyrrha, have you thought about who you want on your team? I'm sure everyone must be eager to team up with such a strong and talented individual such as yourself." Weiss said as Ed put his guns in the holsters on his hips and grenades in the bandolier inside his jacket.

"Hmmmmm…I was planning on just letting the child fall where they will." Pyrrha said.

"Well I was thinking maybe we could be on the same team together!" Weiss said.

"Well that sounds grand!" Pyrrha said, and Weiss turned around, her hands in a scheming pose and a maniacal smile on her face. Ed gulped. He knew that face…that was the face Weiss got when she had a plan in her head.

"You know what else is great? Me. Jeaune Arc. Nice to meet you." Jeaune said as he interrupted whatever Weiss was thinking.

"You again?" Weiss asked, irritated.

'Don't ask, Ed. Just make sure one of these grenades doesn't have the pin removed and kill us all.' Ed thought as he tried to ignore what was going on.

"Nice to meet you Jeaune." Pyrrha said.

"Yeah yeah." He said as he focused on Weiss. "So Weiss, I couldn't help but overhear your fondness of me the other day."

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Weiss said, and at that moment Ed noticed that he had his hand on the pin of an incendiary grenade.

"Don't worry, there's no reason to be embarrassed! After all-" Jeaune started, but stopped when he saw the bone chilling glare Ed sent him as he sharpened his sword on his arm. "I get the feeling that your taken." The scrawny blonde said, and turned his attention to Pyrrha. "So, hot stuff, what do you say? Play your cards right, and you just may end up on the winning team."

"Jeaune, is it? Do you even know who you're talking to?" Weiss asked.

"Not in the slightest." He answered.

"This is Pyrrha!" Weiss said.

"Hello again!" The champion answered.

"She graduated at the top of her class at Sanctum." Weiss said.

"Never heard of it." Jeaune said.

"She took first place at the Mistral Tournament four years in a row! A new record!" The irritated heiress said.

"The what?" The clueless blonde asked.

"She was on the box of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes!" Weiss yelled, waving her arms around in anger. Jeaune gasped.

"That's YOU?!" He asked. "But they only do that for cartoon characters and star athletes!" He said.

"Yeah, it was pretty awesome. But sadly, the cereal isn't all that good for you." Pyrrha said.

"So, after all that, do you really think you're in a position to have her on your team?" Weiss asked.

"I guess not." Jeaune said.

"I think you'd make a great leader." Pyrrha said.

"Oh stop it!" Jeaune said.

"Seriously, stop it. This kind of behavior shouldn't be encouraged." Weiss said.

"Will all first years please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation. Repeat, all first years report to Beacon Cliff for initiation." The voice of Glynda said through the intercom.

"Well, come on. We might as well get going. Later Jeaune." Ed said.

"Bye Jeaune!" Pyrrha said, and Jeaune waved before his shoulders slumped.

"Where did I go wrong? My dad says all women love confidence." He said, and Ruby came up behind him and put her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Maybe Ice Queen wasn't the best start." She said, and Ichigo noticed Blake.

"I'll see you guys later. I've got something I need to do…" he said, walking off. Yang had a knowing smirk on her face.

"What's with him? He doesn't normally runoff this much." Ruby said.

"Isn't it obvious Rubes? Even if he doesn't realize it yet, our dear Ichigo has a crush on book-girl." Yang said as the subject of their conversation walked up to Blake.

"Hey. Sorry for interrupting you and your book yesterday." He said.

"Don't worry about it." Blake said, and they both noticed a rabbit-eared girl looking rather lost.

"You ok?" Ichigo asked, and she nervously nodded.

"Yes. I'm just a little…lost, is all." She said.

"What's your name?" Blake asked.

"Velvet. Velvet Scarletina." She answered, regarding them both suspiciously.

"What's with the stink eye? We're not going to hurt you just because you're a Faunus." Ichigo said. "People like that are nothing more than scum who get off on making those who are weaker then them hurt." Blake was surprised by this. Most humans despised the Faunus, viewing them as unnatural monsters almost as bad as the Grimm. Groups like the White Fang certainly didn't help the people's view of the sub-race of humans. Blake herself was a half-Faunus, her only traits being her eyes and cat ears, which were hidden under her bow, but based on how people always focused on her ears, experience taught her it was best to hide them.

"Hey guys, looks like we got a couple of animal lovers over here." An obnoxious voice said, and what Ichigo saw when he turned made his eyes narrow.

"Winchester." He said. Standing there was the Armored Asshat himself, his mace hoisted over his shoulder.

"Well, if it isn't the momma's boy himself, Ichigo Kurosaki." Cardin said.

"Back for another ass kicking Winchester? I thought you would have thought otherwise after the exhibition." Ichigo said.

"Why you-!" Cardin said, and raised his mace.

"Do you really want to do that Cardin?" Ichigo said, making Cardin stop. "Not only will you be attaching another student outside of combat practice, but you'll also be attacking the son of the headmaster's assistant. Now, the first one would get you suspended, but I'm pretty sure the second would get you kicked out of here faster than you could say 'stay vigilant.'" Ichigo said, and Cardin sneered before walking off.

"This isn't over." Cardin said. Velvet and Blake were amazed at how easy Ichigo stopped the bully.

"Guys like him need to learn their actions have consequences." He said. "Come on, I know a shortcut to the cliff."

"Wait, we've only been here 24 hours. How do you know. shortcut?" Blake asked.

"My mom's Glynda Goodwitch. I practically grew up at Beacon." The Quincy said. "From the way you were cowering, do you know Winchester Velvet?"

"We were at Sanctum together. He's been tormenting me for years." The rabbit-fauna said.

"Well, if he gives you any more trouble, don't be afraid to put him in his place." Blake said. "It's important for people like him to know people won't put up with his crap." Velvet smiled at the two.

"Thank you." She said.

"Alright, follow me." Ichigo said.

Five minutes later, they were at the Cliff, seeing what looked like platforms all around the edge. "What Re these for?" Blake asked.

"Knowing Ozpin, they'll probably launch us into the Emerald Forest." Ichigo said, and the trio each stepped onto one. Soon enough, more students began filtering in, and Ichigo saw the sneer Cardin was sending him. Once all the students were on platforms, Ozpin and Glynda stood in front of them.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your skills will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin said, sipping out of his mug.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of 'teams'. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today." Glynda said.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interests to be paired with someone you already work well with." Ozpin said. "The first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years." One didn't need sensory skills like Ichigo to sense Ruby's whole world practically shatter.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die." Ozpin said, and everyone heard Jeaune gulp loudly. "You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" Ozpin said.

"Um, sir?" Jeaune asked.

"Good. Now take your positions." Ozpin said, and Ihigo crouched into a position similar to what one would take when they run track. Velvet was launched into the air, and Ichigo looked at Blake.

"Told ya." He said, and Blake smiled before she launched into the sky. Ichigo looked at Glynda, and she smiled at him. He smiled back, before being launched into the sky.


	4. Chapter 4: the Emerald Forest

Chapter 4: the Emerald Forest

Ichigo soared above the trees of the Emerald Forest, before he started to descend. He fished a Ginto from his pocket and threw it beneath him. "Tilt the goblet to the west- Wolke!" He chanted, and a cushion of spiritual energy formed beneath him, cushioning his fall.

Al drew one of the arrows on his hip and tied a rope on it, throwing it at a tree. He swung into the forest, doing an action roll as he landed.

Ed somersaulted as he drew Arbiter and stabbed it into a tree before hopping off, sheathing it as he landed.

Damian flipped a switch on Crucifix, causing parachutes to expand out of it. "Oh boy!" He yelled as he got tangled up in a tree. "Maybe putting parachutes on this thing wasn't a good idea." He said, and he saw Al looking up, a smirk on his face. "Not a fucking word out of you."

"Oh I wish I had a camera. This is just too priceless." Al said, and drew one of the small arrows on his hip, throwing at the lines, cutting Damian free. He fell face first on the ground, flipping Al off as he did.

Blake threw the kurisagama of her Gambol Shroud into a tree, and used her natural cat-like reflexes to land on her feet. Using her advanced heading her Faunus heritage gave her, she heard a 'thunk!' followed by what sounded like that Jeaune boy saying 'thank you!' She also heard what sounded like Ruby saying 'Birdie no!'

Velvet flailed madly before landing in a lake.

"Well, so far so good." Ichigo said. He felt out with his sensory skills, sensing that Ruby had already met up with that Weiss girl and that Blake and Yang had landed fairly close to each other. Ruby and Weiss might not get along very well, but from what Ichigo had heard of the Schnee Heiress's skills, he knew Ruby would be more then safe. It's not like they'd set fire to the forest, right? Ichigo quickly summoned his bow when he heard twigs snapping behind him, and watched for what would come out of the forest. What stepped out was not a Grimm, but Ed Gawain, Black King and White Queen pointed at Ichigo. Upon seeing each other, they both lowered their weapons.

"Guess this means you're stuck with me now." Ed said.

"Well, it could be worse. One of us could have ended up with Cardin Winchester." Ichigo said.

"Don't know him, but the name makes him sound like an asshole." Ed said, and the two began making their way through the forest. "Do you have the slightest idea where we're going?"

"Nope. I've never really been down into the Emerald Forest." Ichigo said, and a pack of three Beowolves suddenly charged out of the forest. In the blink of an eye, Ichigo and Ed drew their weapons, reducing the Grimm to piles of ash.

"Man, do these things just hop out of the woods at random times? Who sends a bunch of inexperienced kids out in the middle of this?" Ed said.

"I've known Ozpin for as long as I can remember, and he's done something like this every year." Ichigo said. "Last year he did a scavenger hunt through the Onyx Forest."

"You don't handle yourself like a rookie. You reacted pretty quick to those Beowolves." Ed stated.

"When your mom's a professional huntress and the vice principal, you make sure you keep your skills sharp." Ichigo said. He wasn't the biggest fan of small talk, but if he was going to be with this guy for the next four years, he might as well get to know him.

"Wait, you're telling me that Glynda Goodwitch, the lady who I haven't seen crack a smile since we got here, is your mom." Ed said. "You must take after your dad, unless orange hair's recessive on her side."

"Never knew my dad." Ichigo said. "My real mom either. I'm adopted." Ichigo replied. "Ozpin was the closest thing to a father figure I had in my life. You?" Ed's face fell.

"My parents died about two years ago. Still kind of a sore spot." He said.

"I understand." Ichigo said."You and that Weiss girl together?"

"What gave it away?" Ed asked.

"Other than the fact that a blind Boarbatusk could see it?" Ichigo answered

"Point taken. What about you and that chick with the blonde hair?" Ed asked.

"Yang? She's more like a sister to me." Ichigo replied. "Besides, she's not my type." Ed raised an eyebrow at this.

"You're not gay are you?" He asked, and Ichigo nearly tripped as his face turned red.

"What? No!" He indignantly replied, causing Ed to chuckle.

"Just asking, no need to get all worked up." The swordsman said, and Ichigo scowled at him. "Jeez, is that thing permanently fixed to your face? Almost every time I've seen you you've had that look on your face, even when talking to Yang and that girl Weiss got mad at."

"What about it?" Ichigo asked. He wasn't a mean person; quite the contrary, in fact. He simply couldn't help scowling. It was like someone had drawn it to be part of his face.

"Nothing. It's just that if you adopted a more…friendly face, people might think you're just a sour apple." His teammate answered.

"Hey, Berry Boy!" A voice called out, and a vein bulged in Ichigo's forehead.

"I've told you not to call me that!" He said, turning to see Yang and Blake standing behind him. "Does someone want a haircut?"

"Does someone want to spend the night in the burn unit?" Yang shot back, and Ichigo flinched as he remembered the last time. "That's what I thought."

"How are you two doing?" Blake asked.

"Aside from some Beowolves, nothing that could give us any trouble." Ed said .

"Not surprising. Ichigo here was top of our class at Signal, and you look like you can handle yourself." Yang said.

"Either of you two seen Weiss?" Ed asked.

"No, we haven't." Blake answered.

"She's probably fine." Ichigo said.

"I know, but still, I worry." Ed said.

"How do you know the Schnee Heiress?" Blake asked. "You and her don't seem like you have personalities that would get along."

"You mean her little 'Ice Queen' act? That's just the way she acts around new people. Once you get to know her, she's actually quite pleasant." Ed said. While the three were talking, Yang was standing in front of an cave.

'Wonder where this leads…'she thought. "Hey guys!" She said, dismissing the echo from the cave. "I think I found a shortcut!"

"Are you sure?" Blake asked, as she, Ichigo, and Ed walked over to where the blonde was standing.

"Can't hurt to find out." Yang said.

"Wait, does anyone else hear that?" Ed asked, and the three all listened out, hearing a buzzing sound. A minute later, thousands of wasp-like creatures wearing red and white masks burst out of the cave.

"Crap, Rapier Wasps!" Ichigo yelled, and the four began running. "What did you do to these things Yang?"

"How the hell should I know? All I did was call out to you guys, then-" Yang started, then remembers the echo. "That's not important!"

"I'd say it is!" Ed said, and soon they were facing a VERY long drop to a clearing. "Fuck!" Ichigo turned and summoned his bow. Yang realized what he was about to do, having seen Ichigo use this technique before. That didn't make it any less impressive.

"Licht Rigan." He said, and thousands of blue arrows made of spirit energy flew out, wiping out the Wasps, leaving only a few stragglers.

"Damn. You gotta teach me how to do that." Ed said. "Now how the hell are we supposed to get down from here?" Ichigo smirked, and Yang realized what he was thinking. She nodded and they both grabbed their partners and hopped off the cliff. Ed and Blake were about to resist, when they realized they weren't falling, instead slowly descending on a platform of what seemed like air.

"My semblance lets me manipulate the spirit energy of the world using my aura." Ichigo explained. "It's how I made all my equipment." He said as they reached the ground, and they saw what looked like a temple with gold and black statues resembling chess pieces.

"Those must be the artifacts Ozpin talked about." Ichigo said, and the four walked up, Yang picking up a black knight.

"How about a cute little horsey?" She asked, and Blake smiled.

"Sure." She said, and Ichigo picked up a gold knight.

"Works for me." He said, and Ed nodded in agreement, when a scream sounded through the air.

"Oh no, some girl's in trouble!" Yang said, and turned to her partner, who was looking upwards. "Blake? Something wrong?" Blake merely pointed upwards. Yang looked up, seeing Ruby falling learns the ground, screaming 'heads up!'

**Credit image: silhouette of Ed standing next so Weiss, their weapons drawn as they each stand in front of their emblems, with 'Mirror Mirror' playing in the background.**

In the cave the Rapier Wasps came out of, a massive creature stirred. It was a massive Queen Rapier Wasp, easily three times as big as a person. It felt its children go after the one who disturbed their sleep, but then it felt its children cry out as they all died. They were all linked, so they all shared memories. It emerged from the cave, anger at the front of its inhuman mind. There were four humans, but it focused on the one who hurt her babies. The one with a white body and orange head would pay!

**A/N: alright, the main cast has united, with a nice little post-credits scene to set things up for next chapter. Velvet's going to be in more of a supporting role this time, but no worries, we will see her. Also, I'd like to thank Ghost flame 6 for donating his OC to use as Ruby's love interest. Until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5: players and pieces

Chapter 5: Players and Pieces

**A/N: I'd like to thank Tahaku for donating his OC's Chain and Deezal.**

Al and Damian were walking through the Emerald Forest. "So…how's the weather?" Damian asked.

"That bored huh?" Al asked.

"You have no idea. Do you have any idea where we need to go?" Damian asked.

"Well, we're bound to stumble across someone sooner or later, and we could ask them if they know." Al answered.

"I thought you hated asking for directions." Damian said.

"Anything is better than getting stranded out here." Al said, and they heard a scream above them. They looked to see Jeaune flying through the air. "Isn't that the guy who threw up on the ship?"

"I think so." Damian said.

"Move!" A voice called, and the two warriors turned to see Pyrrha running towards them, a Death Stalker Jonin her tail.

"Running time!" Al said, and they began running away from the giant scorpion.

Ed, Ichigo, Blake, and Yang watched as Rubg fell through the air in slow motion, and Ichigo was about to use Wolke to soften her fall, when Jeaune literally came flying out of nowhere and intercepted her, causing both to fly into a tree. "Ow. What was that?" Ruby said.

"Hey Ruby." An upside down Jeaune said.

"Hey Jeaune." Ruby said.

"Did your sister just fall out of the sky?" Blake asked, and Yang was about to reply when an Ursa charged out of the woods, before falling over dead. Nora rolled off it.

"YEEEE-HAWWWW!" She yelled, and groaned. "Awwwww…it's broken." She said, and Ren came up behind her.

"Nora! Please... Don't ever do that again!" He said, and looked at his partner, only to see a pink outline of where she should be.

"Ohhhh." Nora said, picking up a golden rook. "I'm Queen of the Castle I'm Queen of the Castle!" She said doing a little dance.

"NORA!" Ren said, and Nora stopped with the rook on her head.

"Coming Ren!" She said.

"Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?" Ed asked, and Yang was about to respond when Pyrrha, Al, and Damian ran out of the woods, the Death Stalker hot on their heels.

"Jeaune!" Pyrrha said.

"Pyrrha!" The blonde said.

"Whoa!" Ruby said as she saw the monster chasing the three.

"Ruby!" Jeaune said.

"Ruby!" Yang said as her sister stood up.

"Yang!" Ruby said as she raised her arms as if to give her sister a hug.

"Nora!" Guess who said as she appeared between the two. The death stalker continued to chase the three.

"Did they just run all the way here with a Death Stalker behind them?" Ichigo asked, and Yang reached her breaking point.

"I can't take it anymore! Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!" She yelled.

One…

Two…

"Um, Yang?" Ruby said, pointing up as she tiger on her sister's sleeve.

"How could you leave me?" Weiss asked as she dangled from the claw of a Nevermore.

"I said jump!" Ruby yelled.

"She's gonna fall." Blake said.

"She'll be fine." Ruby said.

"She's falling." Ren said. Jeaune had finally untangled himself from the tree, and he leaped out as Weiss fell, catching her in his arms.

"Just…dropping in?" He asked, and Weiss was speechless. He was about to make a joke about airplane food, when he noticed why she was speechless when they both looked down. They fell to the ground, and Weiss landed on Jeaune's back.

"My hero." She said.

"My back…" he groaned, and Al, Damian, and Pyrrha rolled next to the group.

"Great, the gang's all here. Now we can all die together!" Yang said, and the Queen Wasp flew into view. "Well we're all fucked!"

"Don't be so sure!" Ruby said, charging the Death Stalker. She let out a battle cry as she shot bullets at it, but they bounced off. It swatted her to the side, but she a idiot recovered. She charged it again, but the Nevermore shot out feathers while the Queen shot out stingers. Both pinned Ruby's cloak to the ground, and she tried to free it.

"Just ditch the cloak!" Al yelled, and Ruby froze for a sit-second. She couldn't leave her mother's cloak. It was the only thing she had left to remember her by! She was shaken out of it when she noticed the Death Stalker raise its stinger and a claw, and she closed her eyes.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled, and a white blur zipped past her.

"You are so childish!" Weiss said, and Ruby cracked open her eyes to see the Death Stalker's right clad frozen in a block of ice. "And dim-witted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style. And I suppose I can be a bit... difficult... but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be... nicer." She said.

"I'm not trying to show off." Ruby said. "I want you to know I earned my way in here."

"You're fine." Weiss said as she walked away.

"Normal knees…" Ruby muttered, and as she stood up Yang ran over to here and wrapped Ruby in a hug.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" She said, and Jeaune looked at the two flying Grimm.

"Those things are circling back around. What should we do?" He asked.

"There's no point in fighting these things. We need to hurry up and finish the objectives." Ichigo said.

"He's right. We need to grab an artifact and head towards the cliffs." Ruby said. "We don't have time to fight these things."

"Run and live…there's an idea I can get behind." Jeaune said, and they all grabbed a chess piece.

"We need to go now!" Ren said, as the Death Stalker struggled against its bonds.

"Right. Let's go!" Ichigo said. Back at the cliffs, Glynda smiled as she watched her son help usher the freshmen.

"Is something the matter Glynda?" Ozpin asked.

"It's nothing." She said, though the smile stayed on her face.

The twelve made their way to the cliffs, and they took cover behind some ruins as the Queen and Nevermore landed in the middle. "Well that's just great!" An annoyed Yang said, and the Death Stalker came out of the forest.

"Crap, run!" Jeaune said.

"Nora, distract them!" Ren said, and the walking bundle of ADD took out her rocket launcher and fired at the Nevermore and the Queen. They flew off, and the Death Stalker came up behind them, only for Al, Blake, and Ren to tri-slash it's face. Al switched his sword to bow form, and loaded three arrows with explosive tips, letting them fly at the large Grimm. They all hit their target, stunning the monster. Ichigo appeared next to Nora and they escaped as the three close combat experts ran from the Death Stalker.

"Go go!" Damian yelled as he activated Crucifix's machine gun and Pyrrha switched Miló to gun mode, and they joined Ren in firing at it. Everyone ran across the bridge as the Nevermore used it's wings to destroy the bridge, sending Ed, Jeaune, Nora, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang closer to the columns while Al, Damian, Pyrrha, Ren, Ichigo, and Blake towards the Death Stalker. Ruby and Ed shot at the Nevermore as the Queen fires more stingers, only for them to be frozen in mid-air by Weiss as the scorpion knocked back Blake.

"We need to hurry!" Ichigo yelled as the Queen flew towards him. He drew a Seele Schneider from his belt, and braced as it's charge took him off his get. "Dammit!" He said, and used Hirenkyaku to try and slow down the massive insect Grimm.

"Hold on!" Weiss said, as she created a sigil and Ed hopped into it. "You do realize we never practiced this, right?" She asked, and her boyfriend smirked.

"Trial and error." He said, and she launched him into the air after his partner. He drew Arbiter and held on to the carapace. "Let him go!" He yelled, punctuating each syllable with a slash. The Queen did a barrel roll and shook off the two, sending them tumbling to the cliff top.

"This is gonna hurt…tilt the goblet to the west, Wolke!" Ichigo yelled, and despite the cushion the impact still hurt, true to his word. "Ow."

"I've had softer landings." Ed said, and Ichigo dug the rod in his hand into the ground. "I'm guessing you have a plan?" He was met with a nod.

"We need to lure it up here." Ichigo said. "I need some time to prepare the technique."

"Alright." Ed said, and went over to the cliff side. "Yo! Al, Damian! Get your asses up here!" He yelled, as Damian shot a grenade at the Nevermore.

"Al, you know what to do." He said as the half Faunus slashed the Death Stalker with his talons.

"Yeah yeah." Al said, and drew two arrows with lines tied to their ends. He launched them at the cliff, and under one of the ropes to Damian. They were pulled by the ropes up to the cliff were Ichigo and Ed were. "You rang?"

"Yeah, we need to hold off bugs up there so Ichigo can put together his plan." Ed said, pointing to the Queen. "That's not going to be a problem is it?" He asked, and Damian and Al smirked.

"Need you ask?" Al said, and the Queen shot three stingers. Damian shot each of then down, and Al shot arrows at the Queen as it swooped down to knock Ed off the cliff. He shot a grappling hook out of his forearm and quickly pulled himself up to the cliff.

"Heads up!" He yelled, and landed on the cliff with a back flip.

"Show off." Damian said, and looked at Ichigo. "You done yet?"

"Yeah. We just need to get it up here." Ichigo said, and Ed noticed that four of the rods were in the ground, each with glowing blue blades of energy coming out of them. "You all might want to stand back." He said, and fired a few arrows at the Queen. "Hey ugly! You still mad I killed your babies?" He taunted, and the Queen roared as it dive-bombed them.

"I don't think insulting that thing is the best idea." Al said, and they all dodged as the Queen hit the ground where they stood a moment before. Ichigo turned and drew he final Seele Schneider, twirling around his finger.

"This is the end." He said, and stabbed the blue blade into the ground. The Queen tried to take off, but it found it could no longer move, causing it to roar. "It's been fun, but I have to end this now." He said, and drew a Ginto. He tilted it so that a drop of silver water came out. "Seele Schneider-" he said as the drop hit the hilt on the ground. "-Sprenger." Energy surged from all the Seele Schneider towards the Queen, and it roared as it was devoured in a blue pillar of energy, til it was nothing but a memory.

"Damn." Ed said, when out of nowhere Ruby hopped onto the cliff, the Nevermore's head falling next to her.

"Sup." She said.

Later that day.

Velvet stood with a boy and a girl who looked so similar they had to be siblings, each with blondish-brown hair, blue eyes, and rabbit ears and a tail, thought the girl was shorter than her brother. Another was a boy about 15 or 16 years old, with a feminine face with a scar across his right eyebrow and cheek, his white hair having streaks of blue at the end. "Velvet Scarlatina, Romeo Blue, Deezal Venril, and Chain Venril. You all retrieved the White Pawn pieces." Ozpin said. "You will be team CDVR, lead by… Chain Venril." Ozpin said, and the boy with the rabbit ears, now identified as Deezal, smiled at his sister, who simply maintained an emotionless face. The newly minted team left the stage, and Jeaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora walked on. "Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Jeaune Arc. You retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forth, you will work together as Team JNPR, led by Jeaune Arc." Jeaune's jaw dropped at this.

"M-me?!" He stuttered out.

"Congratulations young man." Ozpin said, and Pyrrha playfully punched Jeaune in the arm, only she was stronger than she realized, sending her new leader tumbling to the ground, getting a laugh from the audience. Team JNPR left the stage as our favorite group of ladies walked onto the stage. "Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose. The four of you retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forward, you shall be Team RWBY, led by…Ruby Rose!" This caused Weiss to look shocked at her new leader as Yang wrapped her sister in a hug.

"I'm so proud of you!" Yang said, and they all left the stage as Ichigo, Damian, Al, and Ed came onto the stage.

"And finally, Damian Cross, Allen Poe, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Edward Gawain. The four of you retrieved the White King pieces. From this day on, the four of you shall cooperate as Team IDEA, led by…Ichigo Kurosaki!" Ichigo's draw dropped in surprise.

"Aw screw it." Glynda said, wrapping her son in a hug. This got giggles and chuckles from the crowd, until Glynda and Ichigo sent glares that would send a Nevermore crying for mommy, causing one thought to go through everyone's head.

'It must run in the family.'

"It looks like this will be an…interesting year indeed." Ozpin said.

Junior's Nightclub

Cinder sat at a table in the VIP section, sipping from a glass of wine. She ordered Junior to keep the floor empty except for her, as she preferred to he alone."M-ms Cinder?" Militia said. "Y-you're friends are here for you." The timid girl said. The older woman scared her. She appeared to be only in her mid-20's, but there was something…inhuman and ageless about her.

"Very well. Send them in." Cinder said, and soon a woman with dark skin and mint green hair and a man with blue hair entered the floor. "Marcus, Cleo, report." She said, and the two bowed.

"Torchwick has gathered nearly a quarter of the dust we need." Cleo said. "He informed me of a shipment of Schnee Dust coming from Atlas in a few months. It should be here around the time of the Vytal Festival."

"Excellent, we're ahead of schedule. Marcus, what does Beacon look like this year?" Cinder said, and Marcus nodded.

"The teams were selected only a few hours ago. Only three teams pose a threat to our plans. Team RWBY, lead by Ruby Rose, and consisting of Yang Xiao Long, Weiss Schnee, and Blake Belladonna." Marcus said.

"Ruby Rose…that girl's already proving to be just as troublesome than her mother." Cinder said.

"Do you wish for me to take care of her, M'lady?" Cleo asked.

"No. Taking her out now would only arouse suspicion. We wait til she leaves the safety of the academy, and we make it look like a Grimm attack, just like we did with her mother." Cinder said. "What of the other two?"

"Team JNPR, led by Jeaune Arc, and consisting of Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie. The Arc boy is a fool in combat, barely able to hold his own in a fight, yet he possesses a sharp tactical mind." Marcus said.

"Most Arc men start out as buffoons, until they find a strong woman to help guide them. Keep an eye on any one he becomes close with." Cinder ordered.

"The final may be the most troublesome: Team IDEA, lead by Ichigo Kurosaki-Goodwitch, and consisting of Edward Gawain, Allen Poe, and Damian Cross." Marcus finished, and Crimson sipped her wine.

"The Emerald Knight, the Holy Gun, the Raven…and a Quincy. They could prove problematic." Cinder said, and rose from her seat. "No matter. They will fall in time, just like the others." She bid her associates to rise from the ground. "One day soon, my loyal servants. The day will soon be upon us where we will once again have our full power once again, and then?" She said, summoning a ball of fire in her hands. She could still see him clearly: that pompous ass smirk, the one that said he was better than everyone else, those cold, calculating eyes of his. She turned her backher servants, revealing the number '-3' tattooed between her shoulder blades. "Then…Sosuke Aizen will burn for what he did to us!"

**A/N: boom! Bet you didn't see that comin', did ya? If you think things won't get any crazier than three Arrancar, then I'm afraid this is only the top of the crazy iceberg. As always, review.**


	6. Chapter 6: Badge and the Burden

Chapter 6: the Badge and the Burden

**A/N: you guys FUCKING ROCK! This story is the first I've had that's gotten this close to 100, so keep it up! Tell your friends, tell their friends, even tell your dog how awesome this story, and more importantly it's fans, is!**

Itwas a beautiful morning at Beacon, the morning sunlight and sounds of birds chirping flowing into the dorm room of Team IDEA, specifically onto the face of a sleeping Allen Poe. "Wake up shithead!" Damian said. He, Ed, and Ichigo were all in their school uniforms, trying to wake up their final member.

"Damn, how heavy a sleeper is this guy?" Ichigo asked. They'd been trying to wake up Al for the last half hour, but the half-Faunus was out like a torch in water.

"I hoped it wouldn't have to come to this." Ed said.

"Me too. We've got no other choice." Damian said. Ichigo looked at the two curiously.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, and Ed went to his suit case and retrieved a set of headphones.

"We call it the 'bedhead contingency'. We created it for something like this." He said, and put them in Al's ears.

"You might wanna get back. He's gonna come up swinging." Damian said, plugging the headphones into his scroll and turning up the volume. "3…2…1…now!" He pressed play and jumped back as Al bolted up, talons bared, a crazed look in his eye.

"What. The. Fuck?!" He yelled, ripping out the headphones. "Why the fuck would you do that?"

"You wouldn't wake up, and we need to unpack." Ichigo said.

"Still…god, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy!" Al yelled.

"Just what did they play?" Ichigo asked, taking Damian's scroll, eyes widening in realization as he saw the name of the song. It was made by a heavy metal group called 'Immersion', and their music basically equated to yelling while loud guitars played in the background. "Oh man. I had no idea."

"Well, we can't worry about it now. We need to unpack." Ed said. Cue montage!

"Well, that didn't take too long." Al said. The beds were all in each forged of the room, with Ichigo and Ed's being on the right side and Al and Damian's on the left. On the right wall there sat a twenty inch wall mounted TV hooked up to a Y-Box 540. "Man, this room's bigger than it looks."

"What now, fearless leader?" Damian asked, and Ichigo stuck a triumphant pose, a trumpet playing in the background as a flag with the Quincy cross appeared behind him.

"Now, we must choose-" the music stopped and the flag disappeared as Ichigo took out a schedule. "-classes. Let's see, our first class isn't until-"

"Did you say 9? It's 8:55 you dunce!" The voice of Weiss yelled. Team RWBY was right next door to IDEA, and the all-male team leaned their heads out their door, one stacked on top of one another as team JNPR did the same as Team RWBY ran off.

"Did she say 9?" Jeaune asked, and at that moment everyone fell on top of one another. Soon, all 12 were running through the courtyard, while Ozpin and Glynda watched.

Ports Classroom

"Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!" Professor Port said, only to meet with silence. "Uhhhh... And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses..." He winked at the female portion of the class, specifically Yang, who groaned uncomfortably. "Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what you ask? Why, the very world itself!" This got a cheer from one individual, who quickly sat back down at the looks everyone gave him. "This is what you are training for. But first: a story! When I was only a lad…" his lecture trailed off as Ed turned to Ichigo.

"Man, is he always this boring?" He asked, and Ichigo shrugged.

"That depends on if he brings out Edgar or not." He answered.

"Who's Edgar?" Al asked, and Ichigo pointed to a cage in the corner of the classroom.

"…and despite the fact that he smelled of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter', he said to me…" Port continued, oblivious to the coversation.

"Edgar's the one in the hole." Ichigo said.

"Eh-hem!" Port said, getting their attention along with that of Team RWBY. "In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village a hero." He took a bow, and Ed noticed Weiss getting more and more agitated as Ruby goofed off. "A true huntsman must be honorable!"

'Shit shit shit!' Ed thought as Ruby balanced a pencil on a book.

"A true huntsman must be dependable!" Port continued as Ruby fell asleep again.

'Fuck, abort abort!' Ed thought as he felt the raw irritation practically flowing off of Weiss.

"A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!" The burly professor said as Ruby was picking her nose.

'Oh god, please don't ask who embodies these traits!' Ed thought.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" The mustached man said, and Weiss raised her hand.

'Why do I even try anymore?' Ed thought.

"I do sir!" She said.

"Well then, why don't you prove it?" Port said, and gestured to the cage. "Step forward, and face your opponent!"

"Well, didn't expect him to free Edgar this early in the year." Ichigo said. Ten minutes later, Weiss was standing in the center of the room in her normal attire, Myrtenaster in her hands.

"Gooooo Weiss!" Yang said.

"Fight well!" Blake cheered, waving a small flag with their team name on it.

"Represent team RWBY!" Ruby said, and Weiss glared at her leader.

"Ruby! I'm trying to focus!" She spat, and Ed noticed this.

'She didn't say anything when Blake or Yang said anything, but she did when Ruby cheered for her. She's been acting like this towards Ruby ever since the teams were announced. Is she mad that she didn't get selected as leader?' He thought.

"Alright! Let the match…begin!" Peter said, swinging his axe and breaking the lock on the cage. A Boarbatusk charged out at Weiss. She blocked its tusk with her sword, and rolled to the side. Edgar began standing a distance away, studying her.

"Hang in there Weiss!" Ruby cheered. Weiss rushed Edgar and prepared to run her blade through its skull, only for her rapier to get caught in Edgar's tusk.

"Bold new approach. I like it!" Port said.

"Come on Weiss, show it who's boss!" Ruby said, and Weiss glared at her. Her break in concentration allowed Edgar to throw her sword away as Weiss was knocked back. She looked up just in time to roll out of the way as Edgar crashed into a desk. She ran for her weapon, taking it off the ground.

"Go for its belly! There's no armor there!" Ruby said.

"Stop telling me what to do!" The heiress yelled, and Ruby looked hurt.

"Listen to her Weiss! That armor's too thick for you!" Ed said. 'That confirms it: she's pissed that she wasn't made leader.' He thought. Weiss used an Air Step glyph to throw Edgar on his back as he charged. She summoned another Air Step glyph and surged forward, her blade piercing the Boarbatusk's belly.

"Bravo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training!" Port said as the hell rang. "Class dismissed. Be sure to study the assigned readings, and stay vigilant!" Weiss stormed out, throwing a glare at Ruby.

"Jeez, what's her problem?" Jeaune asked. Ed stared at his girlfriends retreating form.

"That's the million-Lien question, Jeaune."

Later That Day

Ichigo stood on top of the dormitory the freshman teams were staying in. "Lien for your thoughts?" A voice said behind him, and he turned to see Blake, a book held in her arm.

"Nice weather today." He said. In his Inner World, Juha Bach facepalmed. A small smile appeared on Blake's face.

"It is, isn't it?" She said. "What are you doing up here?"

"I needed a place to think, without those maniacs I call my teammates bothering me." He said, trying to ignore his pounding heart. He didn't know why, but whenever he was around Blake, he'd get a strange feeling in his chest. It was like there was a Nevermore in his stomach doing back flips, and he didn't know what the hell caused it. Back in the Emerald Forest, he brushed it off as it being adrenaline, but that didn't explain why it came up during the classes they had together. "What about you?"

"I came up here to read my book." She said, gesturing to the hardcover in her hand. She hadn't been able to stop thinking of Ichigo after that first night in the ballroom, and she didn't know why.

Has Ruby said anything?" Ichigo asked. After Port's class, Ruby looked like she had been stabbed, even refusing to eat her cookies at lunch, a sure sign something was wrong.

"She's had her nose in a textbook since school let out." Blake replied.

"Man, this isn't like her at all. Just what the hell did Weiss say to her?" He wondered aloud. "I hope she snaps out of it soon." He said, and looked at the sunset. "I've got Ed looking for Weiss, try to find out what went down."

"Well, those two seem close, so I'm sure he'll be able to talk some sense into her." Blake said.

"Hopefully." Ichigo said. He was good at hiding his emotions behind that scowl of his, but Blake had picked up a few things about reading people from Adam. Small things, from tone of voice, body language, some Faunus were even skilled enough to pick up odors. She wasn't nearly that skilled, but she could tell something was wrong.

"I'm guessing Ruby isn't the only thing bothering you." She said.

"It's just…I'm nervous." Ichigo said, his scowl disappearing. "I've never exactly been the leading type. I'm the type of guy who charges in headfirst and comes up with a strategy on the fly, but I've never done that with a bunch of people following me." Blake noticed his hand reach under his shirt and pull out a silver cross on a necklace similar to the one on his wrist, only this one was four pointed. "Ed, Al, Damian, they've fought alongside each other for years. They know each other's strengths, weaknesses, personalities, skills…and they've each got reputations as feared warriors. I'm just the adopted son of a huntress, with nothing but a bunch of flashy techniques."

"I don't think that's true." Blake said. "Back in the Forest, you were the one who took down those Rapier Wasps. Ed, Yang, Al, Me, Damian… none of us could have done what you did. And before that, when Velvet was lost, you're the one who helped her, then protected her from Cardin." She didn't know why she kept talking. Normally, she would have just said a few words of encouragement like 'you'll do fine' or something like that, then be on her way. "Your a protector. If you ever feel overwhelmed, focus on those precious to you, like your mom or girlfriend."

"Don't have one." Ichigo said. Blake didn't know why, bu she inwardly cheered at that. "But I see what you mean: I need to draw my strength from those around me, even if I don't really know them that well. That way, there'll always be something motivating me, pushing me to my limits, helping me grow stronger." He looked at the cross once more, before putting it back under his shirt. "Thanks." He said, smiling at her. She smiled back.

"You're welcome." She said, as they both looked as the sun disappeared over the horizon, the scattered moon rising. Unknown to them, the window to Team RWBY's room was open, and Yang heard the whole thing.

'Well, looks like I now have something to do.' Yang thought, chuckling maniacally.

"Yang, could you keep it down? Some people are trying to do homework!" Ruby said, looking down at her sister from her bed that was suspended by ropes.

"Sorry sis." Yang said, and Ruby disappeared under her covers as Yang folded her hands in front of her like an evil genius. 'This'll be fun!'

**A/N: And so, after this chapter, I begin putting in original story content. This'll take place in the time between each episode, because we need something to fill those weeks! Please R&R, and see ya next time!**


	7. Chapter 7: Black and White

Chapter 7: Black and Orange

**A/N: this chapter probably won't be as good quality as my other ones. I suck at building romances. Now, I've gotten a lot of questions about OC's. Next season, I will hold an OC contest, though I'll probably do only three or five teams.**

Hours blurred into days, days blurred into weeks, and before anyone knew it the first month had passed them by. Weiss's behavior towards Ruby was steadily improving, but it would take some time before they were, as Ruby put it, 'super special awesome' best friends. Ichigo and Blake found themselves spending more and more time together after the talk on the roof, but both thought they simply enjoyed each other's company. Yang, the devious little minx, had been doing her best to get then together. She couldn't simply make them like each other, so she came up with the idea to simply push them along until they came to that realization on their own. At first, it was innocent enough. A compliment from Ichigo about Blake's appearance, Yang telling Blake all sorts of things about Ichigo, and so on and so forth. The thing was, it was working. Blake and Ichigo began thinking abut each other more and more, and Yang knew all it would take was one more push in the right direction. Little did she know, her plan would come to fruition, but without her aid.

It was Glynda's Combat Tactic class, and Teams RWBY, CDVR, JNPR, and IDEA were standing in front of her. "Today, you will be learning how to work with people not on your own team. Each of you will be paired with someone outside of your team, and you must work together to complete the objective." She said, and everyone's names appeared on the screen. "We will now commence random selection." She pressed a few buttons on her scroll, and the names all shuffled until each was with a random person. The results were as follows:

Ruby Rose and Romeo Blue.

Allen Poe and Yang Xiao Long.

Lie Ren and Deezal Venrik.

Pyrrha Nikos and Damian Cross.

Jaune Arc and Chain Venrik.

Velvet Scarletina and Edward Gawain.

Weiss Schnee and Nora Valkyrie.

Ichigo Kurosaki and Blake Belladonna.

"You will be dropped into the Emerald Forest once again, and you only have one objective: survive." Glynda said. "Working with someone who's fighting style you know is a luxury that you may not afford on the battlefield. The purpose of this exercise is to make sure you can work with someone you do not know."

"What about if things get too hairy down there?" Jeaune asked.

"I will intervene if someone's life is in danger, but only if they cannot escape their predicament." Glynda said. "Any more questions?"

"How long will we be in the forest?" Romeo asked.

"24 hours. You will be given an opportunity to make up the classes you miss while we are in the forest." The teacher answered.

'This is better than I could have hoped for!' Yang thought. '24 hours, alone together in a Grimm filled forest…if that doesn't help push them together, I don't know what will!'

10 minutes later

Blake and Ichigo safely landed in the Emerald Forest. "All we need to do is make it through the next 24 hours, and we'll be home free." Ichigo said.

"It shouldn't be too hard." Blake said. Adam had been insistent on teaching her how to survive in the wild, and now she finally had a chance to use that training. "We've got a few hours of daylight left, so we should try finding a place to set up camp."

"What about food? I don't know about you, but 'fried Grimm' doesn't sound very appetizing to me." Ichigo said.

"The forest has plenty of plants and berries. I know enough to tell which ones are edible or not. Besides, we've got rations, so we shouldn't have to worry about food unless something happens to them." Blake said.

"Alright. We should keep moving before any Grimm pop up." Ichigo said, and the two began walking, giving them time to think on their temporary partner.

Ichigo was strong-willed, compassionate, attractive, headstrong, stubborn, powerful, and cared for his friends more than anything. He reminded Blake of the protagonist of one of her favorite books. Of course, the fact that that book was 'Ninja's of Love' made Blake blush crimson, especially when she remembered the part from the second book where the protagonist, Satoshi, saved his love interest, Kimiko, from the clutches of an evil warlord, and afterwards they had-

'No! Blake Belladonna, do NOT think of that scene right now!' She thought. No matter how hard she tried thinking otherwise, she was starting to see Ichigo as more than a friend. Her heart would start racing whenever she was near him, and she found that when he wasn't with her, she missed his presence. She knew she shouldn't be getting this close to anyone, not with the White Fang no doubt after her, but with Ichigo, she just couldn't bring herself to cut her ties with him. Whatever she felt for him, she'd figure it out in time, but right now she needed to focus on the task at hand.

Ichigo wasn't sure what to think about Blake. She was beautiful, skilled, caring, smart, and all sorts of things he couldn't even begin to describe. He'd realized he thought of her as more than a friend sometime after the talk on the roof, but he'd never exactly been in this situation before, so he was unsure how to proceed. 'Maybe you can just, how do you put it, 'go with the flow' like always.' Juha Bach said.

'Shut the hell up.' Ichigo thought. 'Unless you've got any 'words of wisdom' keep your mouth shut.'

'Just listen to what your heart tells you. Otherwise, you will live a life full of regret.' The King said.

'Geez, thanks Yoda.' Ichigo thought.

"I think there's a creek nearby." Blake said, pulling Ichigo away from his banter with the voice in his head. "Watch my back while I get us some water?"

"Of course." Ichigo nodded. "Wonder how the others are doing."

Weiss Schnee was a prodigy, the heiress to the largest Dust company on Vytal, with a net worth of almost 300,000 lien. So why was she absolutely miserable? "Nora! Don't eat that!" Because she had been partnered with probably the most hyperactive person in Beac- no, in all of Vytal!

"Aw, but they look so tasty!" Nora said, holding a bunch of berries. Weiss had no idea how Ren dealt with her.

"For all we know they could be poisonous! Just…put them down." Weiss said, pinching the bridge of her nose. And she thought Ruby was bad!

"Ohhh, what's that?" Nora said, disappearing to Weiss's growing frustration. She looked at her watch, and let out a scream of anger. It had only been 15 minutes since they were dropped in the Emerald Forest, and it was going to be a long 24 hours.

"Oh no, someone's torturing a Grimm!" Yang said upon hearing an inhuman scream coming from a few miles away.

"I've never heard that type of Grimm before. Maybe it's a new kind?" Al said. So far, they were doing good, not having any problem aside from the two Ursi Al was currently skinning.

"So how do you know how to cook an Ursa?" Yang asked.

"My dad made sure I was well trained. By the time I was ten I could kill, skin, and cook a Beowolf in two hours." He said. "So in one hour, I'll have a five-star meal ready."

Damian was thrown back as a Sasquatch swung at Pyrrah. "Ow." He said.

"I told you to watch its arms!" Pyrrha said.

"Yeah yeah." Damian said as he took two pistols out of Crucifix. "I hate fighting these things. Most things, a bullet to the head puts them down, but these things have skills made of fucking steel!" He said as he began shooting at it. Pyrrha switched Miló to sword mode and slashed its legs off and stabbed it in the heart, the creature howling before it dissolved into ash.

"There, that wasn't too hard, was it?" Pyrrha teased.

"Don't you start." Damian said.

Ed slashed through the dense shrubbery that he and Velvet landed in. "Goddammit…they dropped us in a goddamn swamp." He said, rubbing where his prosthetic was attached to his body.

"Are you ok?" Velvet asked.

"Yeah. It's just the humidity always irritates the nerve endings on my prosthetic." He said. "Makes it a bit sluggish, but I'll be fine."

"If you say so." She said, and drew her revolvers that shot different kinds of Dust. "Keep your eyes peeled. Krocavile's love hiding in placed like this."

"I know. Stay away from the water." He advised, when a black crocodile with the Grimm's signature white mask on its face sprung out of the water. "Shit!" He blocked its chomp with his prosthetic right arm, and began firing into the thick hide with Black King. Velvet shot fire and lightning dust out of her pistols, but the krocavile shook it off. "Get…off!" Ed yelled, grabbing the top part of the Grimm's jaw and pulling it open. He put black King into its jaws and pulled the trigger, the Grimm dissolving as it died.

"I'm thinking we should get out of here." Velvet said.

Blake finished filling the canteens with water. "I'm sure they're doing fine." She said, getting up from the spot where she was kneeling,

"You're probably right. Still, if we come across them, we shouldn't hesitate to help them." Ichigo said.

"That goes without saying." Blake said. "We should go ahead and look for a place to set up camp before it gets too late." She tossed Ichigo a canteen.

Two Hours Later

"This a good place?" Ichigo asked. The trees were arranged in a circular pattern, affording a great view of the sky.

"This'll do. There are twigs everywhere, so I don't think any Grimm will sneak up on us. It'll be easy finding things to start a fire, so we won't need to worry about warmth." Blake said.

"Not to mention the view." Ichigo said, looking at the sky. However, somehow he knew he wasn't talking about the sky, currently turning bronze with the setting sun, but rather the raven haired beauty next to him. High above the forest, Marcus and Cleo watched Ichigo, concealing their Spiritual Pressures.

"Why does Lady Cinder have such an interest in that Quincy?" Cleo asked. "His abilities are nothing compared to some of the others I've seen."

"Remember Cleo, he's half-Shinigami as well, not to mention the monster sleeping within him." Marcus reminded her. "Lady Cinder wants us to monitor his powers as they develop, and to see if he could pose a problem in the future."

"Why don't we take out that Ruby girl?" Cleo asked. "I could just make it look like her and her little boyfriend were ambushed by Beowolves." Cleo said, gesturing to where Ruby and Romeo were walking.

"Lady Cinder said to hold off on disposing of her just yet." Her fellow Arrancar said. "Why are you so dead set on killing her? Is it because of what her mother did?" Marcus asked, and Cleo subconsciously checked her side, where underneath her clothing was a gash that went from her left armpit to her right hip.

"That woman merely had more spiritual pressure than I thought, and it was enough to temporarily break through my hierro, that's all. I reclaimed my honor by weakening her for Lady Cinder." Cleo said.

"Regardless of your feelings towards Ruby Rose, our mission is to test Ichigo Kurosaki, nothing more, nothing less." Marcus said. "I've got just the thing." He snapped his fingers, and a garganta opened in the forest. "These Grimm are nothing more than hollows with a different name. Intimidate them, and they'll do whatever you want." He said, and his partner smiled devilishly as two Death Stalkers slithered out of the rip in the fabric of space-time.

Ichigo was piling firewood, when he felt an odd sensation. "Get down!" He said, tackling Blake to the ground. Blake was about to ask why he did so, after getting over her embarrassment, but was answered when Death Stalker slammed its claw into where she stood a minute before. "Where the hell did these things come from? I think they would have made more noise!" He said, sitting up as he drew a Seele Schneider.

"No idea." Blake said, drawing her katana, and gasped as she noticed a piece of black cloth lying where she once stood. She felt on top of he head, and saw that her cat ears were visible for the world to see. 'I'll worry about if he noticed later.' She thought. She charged the death stalker, and used her After Image ability to dodge its claw and slice off the stinger with her sheath. Ichigo activated Blut: Vene as a second one swung its claw, sending him flying back. He summoned his bow and launched three arrows, only for them to bounce off the shell. He drew a Seele Schneider and used Hirenkyaku to appear behind it, slashing off its tail and impaling it in the head, the Quincy weapon absorbing the essence of the Grimm. Blake kept using her After Image to confuse her opponent, confusing it until she slid under it, slicing its weak-spot open, causing it to hiss as it dissolved.

"You ok?" Ichigo asked, and he noticed the cat ears on top of her head. "You're a Faunus?" He asked, and Blaks felt her heart stop. She didn't know how he'd react to a friend hiding something like this from him, so she watched him carefully as he picked up her bow. "Here."

"Y-you don't care that I hid this from you? From everyone?" She asked, at a loss for words, and he shrugged.

"I always kinda suspected." He said. "My semblance also gives me advanced sensory abilities. Humans and Faunas have different auras, with Faunus being more animal like. Your's is sorts half-way between human and Faunus. Add that to the fact that I swear I've seen you're bow twitch at least twice, it doesn't take a genius to figure it out." He explained.

"You're not going to tell the others?" Blake asked, and Ichigo shook his head as he handed her the bow.

"No, I'll leave that to you. I figure that you have your reasons for keeping it under wraps-" in another universe, a blonde woman named Barbara Dunkelman felt inexplicably proud as a crappy pun was made. "-so I won't tell them. I'll leave that you. Besides, I'm not the kind of person to tell a secret like that." If Blake wasn't sure about her feelings for Ichigo, she was now. At least, that was the only plausible explanation for what she did next.

She kissed him. Just a simple kiss on the lips, but it was enough for Ichigo's mind to go blank. 'Wel, don't just stand there. Kiss her back!' Juha said, causing Ichigo's brain to reboot. However, as he was about to kiss back, Blake pulled away, her cheeks pink.

"I'm sorry. I-I don't know what came over-" she was cut off as Ichigo pressed his lips to hers, causing her to kiss back. They stayed like this until the need for oxygen became too great. They parted, their cheeks equally red.

"Blake, I've never felt like this around anyone else before. I don't know what any of this means, but I'm willing to figure it out if you are." He said, and she wasn't sure what she should say, so she said the first thing that came to mind.

"I am." She said, nodding. He smiled.

"Well, that fires not going to light itself is it? We should get back to work." He said, and at that moment the sun finished setting, the stars filling the night sky.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Blake asked.

"Yeah, it is." Ichigo said, but he wasn't looking at the sky, instead he was now looking at his raven-haired…girlfriend? Neither noticed Marcus and Cleo vanish with Sonido as they shared one more kiss, before going back to building the fire.

The Next Day

Glynda waited at the gateway to the Emerald Forest waiting for the students to return. *BOOM!* an explosion sounded, and Nora landed on the ground, a smoking Weiss close behind her. "Nora…just what the FUCK would make you do that?!" Weiss yelled, regardless of the teacher standing in front of her.

"Well, you said we needed to get to the entrance, and I got us there!" The hammer-wielder said.

"That didn't mean you had to fire your hammer into a fucking gas pocket! You're lucky it didn't kill us!" The heiress yelled.

"Ms. Schnee, I suggest you refrain from using such language in front of Beacon staff." Glynda said, causing Weiss to blush.

"Of course ms. Goodwitch. My apologies." She said, when Ren and Deezal came out of the forest. "You!" She said, pointing at Ren. "Take this back!" She said, pushing Nora into Ren's arms.

"Nora, what did you do this time?" Ren asked. "Never mind. It's probably better if I don't ask." Al and Yang were the next to appear.

"Please tell me this…pervert didn't do anything indecent to you." Weiss said. She didn't use words like 'Faunus scum' or 'heathen' for Ed's sake, but that didn't mean she had to let the shower incident go.

"That was ONE time by accident. And if you must know, I have a strict code of conduct when it comes to women." Al said.

"And I think it'll please the princess to know that he skinned and cooked two Ursi for us to eat." Yang said, and Ruby and Romeo appeared next.

"Civilization!" They both yelled, high-giving each other.

"The promised land of cookies and pizza!" Ruby said, causing Weiss and Yang to sweat drop.

"Oh thank god, conversationalists!" Jaune said, running out of the forest, Chain close behind him. "The past 24 Hurd have been an uncomfortably silent Hell!" He said. "Mom said woman love conversation… but every topic…silence…so much silence…" Jaune said, shuddering. Nora patted his back, and Damian and Pyrrha soon emerged, each with their fair share of cuts and bruises.

"Well that was fun." Damian said as Pyrrha rejoined her team.

"Agreed. Though I wouldn't wish to repeat that." Pyrrha said.

"I'll say." Ed said as he and Velvet emerged from the trees. "Being in a swamp with a prosthetic? No thank you." He said as Velvet went back to her team.

Ichigo and Blake were the last to walk out of the forest. However, Yang noticed their hands kept brushing against one another's, and they kept sending small smiles towards one another. 'Success!' She thought.

"Now that you have all arrived safety, we felt it was necessary to reward that you can work outside your comfort zone." Glynda said. "As such, in the cafeteria, you will find an assortment of food waiting for you. Dog in. You've earned it."

"Food!" Ruby, Yang, Romeo, Al, Nora, and Jaune exclaimed, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

"Well, better make sure they save some for us." Ed said, wrapping his arm around Weiss's shoulder, only for her to peel it off.

"No offense…but you need a shower!" She said.

"Come on, I've smelled worse! Right Damian?"

"Don't drag me into this." The gunman said, and soon everyone but Ichigo and Blake left for the cafeteria.

"So…what now?" Blake asked.

"Well, I was kinda hoping we could, y'know, maybe go on a date sometime." Ichigo said, scratching the back of his head nervously. Blake smiled.

"I'd like that." She said, taking his hand in hers. "We should hurry before everyone takes the good stuff." He smiled back.

"Lead on."

**A/N: not my best work, but hey, they're together! I know a lot of you have been waiting for it, and I'm sorry you didn't get to see Yang's meddling firsthand, but I think you all can imagine what all she did. As for Cinder, Cleo, and Marcus, after I finish season One, I will make a 'Turn Back the Pendulum' arc that not only tells her story, but why Ichigo was sent to Vytal. I deleted the voice cast from chapter 2, but here's a list for the OC voice cast:**

**Edward Gawain: Troy Baker**

**Allen Poe: Vic Mingona**

**Damian Cross: Todd Haberkorn**

**Romeo Blue: Bryce Papenbrook**

**Deezal Venrik: Yuri Lowenthal**

**Chain Venrik: Stephanie Sheh**


	8. Chapter 8: Black and Orange Part 2

Chapter 8: Black and Orange part 2

**A/N: holy Fuckbears. This story has just hit 100 followers! Thank you everyone for showing your support**

Ichigo awoke to his teammates staring at him. "Can I help you?" He asked, curious as to why they were hovering over his bed.

"Are you ok?" Damian asked.

"Shouldn't I be asking the people watching me sleep that?" Ichigo retorted, getting out of bed.

"We're worried about you. You haven't scowled since Sunday, when we got back from the forest." Al said. "At first, we thought you were just trying to put on a friendly face, but it's been five days."

"I'm fine." Ichigo stated, but the three were not convinced. "Look, I just have something tonight I've been looking forward too all night." He said as he pulled out his uniform.

"Care to tell us what it is?" Ed asked, and Ichigo sighed. He might as well tell them now.

"I have a date tonight." He said. The three stood in silence as Ichigo got dressed, a tumbleweed blowing last their window.

"That would explain why he hasn't been scowling." Al said.

"Alright, who's it with?" Damian asked.

"Blake." More silence, and another tumbleweed blew past their window. "Man, what is with the wind?"

"Blake Belladonna. The girl who always has her nose in a book." Ed stated in disbelief. "The girl who always wears a bow on her head."

"Yes." Ichigo replied.

"Alright Kurosaki, what did you do to her?" Al asked.

"I asked her and she said yes. Is that really so hard to believe?" Ichigo asked, not bothering to talk about what happened leading up to him asking.

"Yes." They all said, and Ichigo flipped them the bird.

"Well fuck you guys." He said as he buttoned his shirt. "Now, unless you plan on going to class in your pajamas, I suggest you get dressed." He said.

Team RWBY dorm room

Blake awoke to the sight of Yang hanging upside down from the top bunk, her characteristic grin on her face. "Good morning Blake." The busty brawler said.

"Good morning Yang. Care to tell me why you're hanging upside down?" Blake asked.

"Well, I was just wondering why you've been so chipper lately." Yang said, rolling off the bunk and performing a perfect backflip before landing perfectly on her feet.

"Chipper? Come on Yang, no one says that anymore besides old people." Ruby said, hopping off of her bunk.

"Besides, is it really any of your business?" Weiss said as she the wiped sleep out of her eyes.

"Come on, aren't you two the LEAST but curious as to why she's been smiling more than usual?" Yang asked, and Ruby and Weiss looked at each other. Now that they bought about it, Blake had been smiling a lot more since Sunday, and she always had a faint pink in her cheeks during certain classes. "See? You're curious too, aren't you?" Yang said. Blake looked at Ruby and Weiss, amber eyes begging them not to help Yang.

"Y'know, Yang does have a point." Weiss said, saying words no one ever expected to hear.

"So Blake, what's up?" Ruby asked. Blake sighed. She didn't exactly want to make a big deal out of the date tonight, but she knew her teammates would weasel it out on their own, so she might as well let the cat out of the bag.

"I have a date tonight." She said as they began to get dressed in their uniforms.

"Really?" Weiss asked as she put her hair in its asymmetrical ponytail. "I don't mean to sound rude, but you don't seem like the dating type."

"This must be a helluva guy to get our shy little bookworm to go out with him." Yang said as she buttoned her blazer. "Is it anyone we know? Perhaps a certain orange-haired team leader next door?" Blake's eyes widened. Just how the hell did she know?

"Come on, Ichigo? I think I'd notice if he and Blake were-" Ruby started, but stopped when she saw Blake's cheeks turn pink. "Oh my god, it IS him isn't it?" She asked, and Blake sheepishly nodded.

"Come on, give us all the details. When and how'd he ask you?" Yang asked.

"Does that any of that actually matter?" Weiss asked, coming to Blake's defense. "How and when he asked isn't that important, all that matters is that they're going on a date."

"Weiss does have a point, Yang." Blake said, and Ruby nodded in agreement.

"Alright, alright, I'll drop it." Yang said, and the four walked out at the same time as Team IDEA.

"I'm guessing you just found out about the two lovebirds here too." Al said, and Yang nodded.

"Sheesh, it's not a big deal. It's not like we've been dating behind your backs." Ichigo said.

"So why did you hide it from us?" Yang asked.

"We didn't hide anything. You just never asked." Blake answered. "Now, don't we need to go to class?"

LaterThat Day, Team IDEA Dorms

"God, that was a boring day." Damian said, pulling of his tie.

"Tell me about it. And Ichigo and Blake making googly-eyes at each other all day didn't help." Al said. "And I thought Ed and Weiss were bad."

"Ah come on, cut us some slack." Ed said.

"Thank you, Ed." Ichigo said.

"At least me and Weiss are actually dating. And we're subtle about it." Ed said.

"I take it back. Fuck you." Ichigo said.

"No thanks." Ed shot back.

"So, care to tell us what you and Blake have got planned?" Damian asked as the four changed into their casual wear.

"There's a carnival at the pier tonight we were planning on heading over there." Ichigo answered as he reached for his shower bag. "We're not going til six so that gives me a few hours to freshen up." He was about to head to the showers when his scroll went off.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, please report to my office." His mother's voice said.

"Let me guess: you still haven't told your mother, have you?" Damian asked.

"I may or may not have brought up the topic in our last conversation." Ichigo said.

"You goddamn idiot. You ALWAYS tell the mother you have a date, even if she'll embarrass the hell out if you." Ed said, shuddering as he remembered the 'talk' his mother had given him when he was about to go on his first date with Weiss. "And with a mother like her? I don't pity you."

"Whatever." Ichigo said, and used Hirenkyaku to arrive at his mothers office.

"It's open." She said, and he walked in, taking a seat across from her.

"Hey mom. What's up?" He asked, and she readjusted her glasses.

"It has come to my attention that you and Blake of team RWBY have a date in a few hours." She said.

"How did you-"

"Nora." Glynda said. That explained more than one though it would, as if Nora knew something, the whole school would. "But even without her, I knew there was something going on between you and Blake."

"You mean you were watching us in the forest?" Ichigo asked.

"It's standard procedure to monitor all students in the forest in case we need to step in." Glynda explained. "You're hardly the first couple to hook up in the forest. But what I want to know is why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I just didn't want to make a big deal about it." Ichigo said.

"Still, a little heads up would have been nice." Glynda responded. "But that is not why I called you here. I understand that you and Blake are both levelheaded and competent individuals. But you are still teenagers with hormones, and I have no desire to be a grandmother at my age." Ichigo bolted up as his face turned redder than Ruby's cloak.

"Oh god, we do NOT need to have that conversation!" He said.

"Oh thank god." Glynda said. "It was uncomfortable enough just thinking about having this discussion."

"Can I go? I need to go and get ready." Ichigo asked, and Glynda nodded.

Two Hours Later

Ichigo, now dressed in an orange shirt that read 'Future Cubes' and blue jeans stood in front of Team RWBY's dorm. "Here goes nothing." He said, and was about to knock when the door swung open to reveal Blake already on her way out.

"You ready to go?" She asked.

"Yeah. You?" He asked, and she nodded. They were about to head out, when a bright flash filled their vision.

"There we go!" Yang said, holding a camera and wearing her usual mischievous smirk.

"What the hell Yang?" Ichigo asked.

"Just wanted to get a picture for the scrapbook. That way, in a few years, you can show your kids what you looked like on your first date!" Yang said, and was met with a door slammed in her face. "Man, some people have no sense of humor."

One Hour Later

Blake and Ichigo stepped into the carnival. "See anything that catches your eye?" Ichigo asked, and Blake scanned the crowd, her eyes peeled for anything that suited her interests, before she shrugged.

"Not particularly." She said. "How about we just walk around?"

"Sounds good." Ichigo said.

"Well well, who do we have here?" A voice that made Ichigo flinch asked. "Is our little strawberry on a date?" They turned to see an 18-year old with short brown hair and a scar over his left eye and a girl with red hair and green eyes.

"What are you two doing here?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, we were just trying to enjoy the fair, when York saw a familiar head of orange hair." The girl said. For some reason, her appearance and voice reminded Blake of Pyrrha.

"That and Yang called us and told us you were here." York said. "Care to introduce us?"

"This is Blake Belladonna." Ichigo said.

"Hi."

"Blake, this is James Dugan and Caroline Church." He pointed at the two teenagers.

"But you can call me Carolina." Carolina said.

"And me York." James said.

"So, you two on a date?" Ichigo asked.

"No, I brought my girlfriend to the fair because we just wanted to hang out." York said sarcastically.

"Jeez, you don't have to be a dick about it." Ichigo said.

"Well, it was nice seeing you, but this half-blind moron owes me some overpriced carnival food." Carolina said as they began to walk off.

"Later." Ichigo said.

"Well, they seem…interesting." Blake said.

"You have no idea." Ichigo said. "And if you think those two are weird, you should meet some of the others me and Yang went to school with."

"They can't be that bad." Blake said. "What are they like?"

"Well, there's the Dakota twins, John and Jane, but everyone calls them North and South. I can't remember why though." Ichigo said. "Then there's David, but we all call him Washington after a very hilarious incident involving Ursa pheromones when we took a field trip to Sanctum in middle school during. Ursa mating season. Then there's Maine. He doesn't really talk much, but when he does, it's for a good reason. Then there's Felix…" and so Ichigo proceeded to tell Blake about his friends at Signal and the various sorts of trouble they would get into for the next hour, the couple enjoying the fairs various activities, and enjoying one another's company even more.

"Wait…" Blake said, grasping her sides as she shook with laughter. "So you're telling me…Washington put his climbing harness on wrong…it broke…and Carolina saved him by putting another grappling hook on his crotch?"

"Yep." Ichigo said, and Blake grabbed his arm to keep from falling over from laughter. "Ask Yang about it. She took a video."

"I will." She said, when she looked at the clock near them. "Whoa. Where did the time go?"

"We've got about half an hour before we have to head back. Guess time flies when you're having fun." Ichigo said. "So, I think we can fit in one last thing."

"What about the Ferris Wheel?" Blake asked, gesturing to the massive wheel. "Pretty romantic way to end a great night."

"You read too many romance novels." Ichigo said, but he got up and began walking.

"You're probably right." Blake said as she grabbed Ichigo's hand.

One line later, they were at the top of the Ferris Wheel. "I've had a wonderful time tonight." Blake said as she looked at Ichigo.

"Me too." Ichigo said, and looked into Blake's eyes. "Blake, tonight's been one of the best nights of my life. I don't know where this will lead, but I'm willing to find out." He gulped, nervous about what he was trying to say. "What in trying to say is…will you be my girlfriend?" Blake thought for a second, her jaw dropping, before she smiled.

"I would love to." She said, and they found their draw closer until they collided. Blake wrapped her arms around Ichigo's neck, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, deepening the kiss. It lasted for nearly thirty seconds, until they both found their oxygen supplies exhausted, causing them to pull apart. Both said nothing as they stepped off the ride, walking hand in hand to the shuttle that would take them back to Beacon.

**A/N: Don't really have much to say, except sorry for not updating til now. Things have been hectic around my house, with finals and projects coming up, but have no fear: the Quincy Hunter has returned! Now, I've got two words that describe next chapter: Christmas. Special. In the words of the great Stan Lee: 'nuff said.**


	9. Chapter 9: wonderful Christmas Time

Chapter 9: Wonderful Christmas Time

It was that time of the year once again. The halls of Beacon were decorated with lights, tinsel, and all sorts of Christmas decorations in celebration. The two-week winter break was a day away. Of course, the student body had to survive what was probably their greatest challenge yet: finals.

"My brain hurts." Damian said, his head on the table. Teams JNPR, IDEA, and RWBY were all eating lunch, each in various states of headaches from the semester exams.

"Join the club." Al said, his head in his hands. "So many math problems…" he shuddered.

"I don't know what you two are complaining about." Ichigo said. "That's what you get when you play video games all night instead of studying."

"Shut up Mokuba." Damian said.

"Who's Mokuba?" Blake asked.

"I think his brain really is broken." Al said.

"Screw the rules, I have money!" Damian yelled, and Ed proceeded to dump his glass of water on Damian, who bolted up. "I just had the weirdest dream."

"One where you actually studied?" Ichigo asked.

"No, even weirder. I dreamt I was some sort of rich spoiled brat with a dragon fetish who wore a gravity-defying tench coat and played a children's card game using expensive holograms." Damian said.

"Was it on a motorcycle?" Yang said.

"No, not THAT weird." Damian answered.

"Well, Damian's weird dream aside, what are you guys planning for Christmas break?" Ed asked.

"Well, I'm heading back to my home village tomorrow." Pyrrha said.

"Same here." Jaune said, and Ren and Nora nodded to signify they too were returning home.

"Well, and and Damian don't really have anywhere to go, so we were just going to get a hotel room and watch crappy movies." Al said.

"Why don't you two stay with us?" Ruby asked. "We'd have to ask Uncle Qrow, but I think that it'll be fine."

"You don't have to do that." Damian said.

"Don't worry about. No one should have to spend the holidays in some dingy motel." Yang said. "What about you Weiss?"

"Me and Ed are returning to White Castle tomorrow." The heiress said. Over the past four months, the three teams, minus Ed of course, had managed to break through the mask of 'ice princess', but Weiss still needed some work.

"What about you Blake?" Ruby asked.

"Well, Professor Ozpin said he'd let me stay at Beacon, since I have nowhere to go." Blake said, and Ichigo's ears perked up at this. There was no way he was letting his girlfriend stay at Beacon all by herself.

"Why don't you stay with me and my mom? I'd have to ask her, but I don't think there will be a problem." Ichigo said.

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose." Blake said.

"Hey, if you think I'm going to let my girlfriend spend the holidays at Beacon all alone, you're dead wrong." Ichigo said, and Blake smiled.

"Thank you." She said.

"Catberry for the win!" Nora yelled. At this point, everyone had learned that sometimes it was better not to ask. Blake would have worried Nora had figured it out, but seeing as it was Nora, she didn't think too much of it. No one really understood Nora, hell sometimes they wondered if Nora understood Nora.

That evening

"Man it's good to be back home!" Ichigo said as he walked into his house. "Living in a crowded room with three other guys is nice and all, but it gets old after a while."

"At least your room doesn't look like a violation of safety regulations." Blake said. "I have no idea how those beds haven't fallen yet."

"Well, here at Hotel Goodwitch, we guarantee that a bed may not fall while their is an occupant in it." Ichigo said, earning a giggle from Blake. "Come on. I'll show you to your room."

That Night

_Blake ran through a forest, hoping to evade her pursuer. "It's pointless Blake!" Adam yelled, and soon he appeared in front of her._

_"Get away from her!" Ichigo yelled, appearing behind Blake. Adam quirked an eyebrow._

_"Oh? You've got yourself a little boyfriend now do you?" He asked, and placed his hand on his sword. "Leave. She'll just betray you like she betrayed me." Ichigo summoned his bow._

_"We'll see about that." He said, and Adam smirked._

_"You're right." He said, before he ran Ichigo through with his sword, his white uniform turning red as his bow dispersed. "Looks like I win."_

_"B-Blake…" he rasped, before Adam yanked out the sword and let Ichigo fall._

_"Pathetic." He said, and used his foot to crush Ichigo's windpipe, ensuring his death. "Now, where were we?"_

_"N-no…" Blake sobbed, falling to her knees._

_"Oh right, I was about to make you pay for abandoning me." Adam said, and reached for Blake._

_"P…pro…tect." Ichigo said, and he rose. But where he should have been, there was a monster with pale white skin, a hole in its chest, orange fur around its wrists and ankles, and a black katana in its hand. But what drew Blake's attention was its skeletal mask, with black markings and two bull horns, orange hair flowing like a mane. "Protect…her…" it rasped out with Ichigo's voice as red energy began swirling around its horns._

"Blake…Blake!" Ichigo yelled, snapping Blake out of her nightmare. "What's wrong? You've been yelling for five minutes?" Instead of answering him, she embraced him, tears staining his shirt.

"A-Adam…h-he killed you…then you turned into some sort of m-monster." She said, shaking as Ichigo held her.

"Shhhh, shhhh, it's ok." He said as he stroked her hair. "I'm right here, and I'm alright." He saw Glynda appear in the doorway.

"What is going on?" She asked.

"It's alright." He said. "I think she had a nightmare."

"I see." The veteran Huntress said. She, along with the rest of Beacon's senior staff, knew of Blake's last with the White Fang, and of her former partner Adam. "Well, if she needs anything else, let me know." She said, going back to her room.

"Don't worry Blake, I'm here, and I don't have a scratch on me." Ichigo said, rubbing small circles in her back.

"Please…stay with me." Blake said, and Ichigo's eyes widened. "Just hold me. Please." Blake said, pulling him closer.

"Alright." He said, and climbed into the bed with her, her grip not loosening. "It's gonna be alright. I promise."

The next morning.

*Click!* Ichigo awoke to that sound, quickly accompanied by the flash of a camera. He opened his eyes to see his mother holding a camera, a smirk on her face. "Sleep good?" She asked, gesturing to his side. He quirked an eyebrow, and looked to see Blake curled up against him, snoring lightly. Looking at her now, it was hard to believe she was thrashing about and screaming because of a nightmare only a few hours earlier. "You two didn't-"

"No." Ichigo said, his cheeks quickly turning pink. "She just wanted me to stay with her, that's all."

"Good. I don't want any grandchildren at this age." Glynda teased, and Ichigo scowled at her, but it was hard when his face was turning almost as red as Pyrrha's hair.

"Is there anything in particular you want other than to tease me?" He asked, careful not too wake up the sleeping beauty in his arms.

"I have to head to the office, take care of a few things before I get too relaxed." Glynda answered. "I'll be back around three, so until then you and Blake have the house to yourselves."

"Alright. See you later." Ichigo said, and declined back onto the bed as Glynda left, thinking on what Blake told him last night. 'Just who the hell is Adam, and why does Blake think he'll kill me?' He thought, as he gently and carefully untangled himself from Blake's embrace.

One Hour later

Ichigo was sitting on the couch in the living room, when Blake came down the stairs. "Good morning." He said, and she yawned.

"Morning." She said.

"Are you alright? That must have been quite a nightmare you were having." Ichigo asked.

"Yeah. That'll teach me to read a horror novel before bed again." Blake said, trying to brush it off, but Ichigo saw through it.

"Who's Adam?" He asked.

"He's…no one. Somebody I knew a long time ago." Blake said, and tried to move for the kitchen, but Ichigo blocked her way.

"Judging from the way you dreamed he killed me, he's not no one." He said. Blake took a deep breath. If she was going to tell Ichigo about her past, she might as well do it now.

"Well, first I have to tell you about how I grew up." She said, taking a seat on the couch. "After the Faunus Rebellions, the Faunus needed a voice to speak for them. The White Fang were that voice."

"You mean the terrorist organization?" Ichigo asked.

"They weren't always like that. When they started, they were a peaceful group, using non-violent protesting methods and demonstrations. Our leader, a man named Shanto, said that to use violence was to prove that we were the animals they thought we were." Blake said. "My parents were founding members of the White Fang. I was at every protest, every sit-in, every demonstration…but that wasn't meant to last." Blake said. "Five years ago, Shanti died from health complications, and a man named Lionheart appeared and took over. He began ordering violent protests, burning shops that wouldn't serve us, executing businessmen who had Faunus laborers, attacking the Schnee family…everything Shanto worked for, bled for, and died for was spat on.

"What about your parents?" Ichigo asked.

"My dad was a former Hunter, but he was one of the few human members of the White Fang, while my mother helped organize everything. They died in a car accident on the way back from a protest when I was four. " Blake said. "And that brings me to Adam. My father would train some of the kids to defend themselves, and Adam was his best student. He was about ten years older than me, so he took me in after they died, and trained me. In fact, the reason I read so much is because one day he gave me this old hard cover called The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Blake said, smiling at the memory, but then her smile vanished. "But he had a lot of rage inside him. He lost his parents to a hate crime when he was a child, and my parents' deaths only increased that anger. When Lionheart began to push the White Fang to its more violent stance, Adam saw his chance for revenge. We kept getting partnered together for heists, and each time I would watch Adam start to change into a killer with no remorse who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals." Her vision became blurry with tears. "Eventually, we were ordered to attack a train carrying Dust through Forever Fall. Adam wanted to go ahead and blow the train with the passengers still on board. At that moment, I decided I had enough. So, I left." She could still see his face, an expression of betrayal and heartbreak, as the car she was on sped away. She was pleasantly surprised when, instead of treating her like the criminal she was, Ichigo wrapped her in a hug.

"I'm sorry. If I'd known I never would have asked." He said. "I knew you had a difficult path because of your ears, but I didn't even think that you had went through all that."

"Y-you don't care that I was a member of the White a Fang?" She asked.

"Are we really going to have this conversation?" Ichigo asked. "Three months ago, when I found out you were a Faunus, I said I didn't care. What I just learned doesn't change how I feel about you." Blake let the tears pour out, nuzzling into his chest.

"Thank you." She said, and Ichigo kissed the spot right behind her cat ears. They stayed like that for a few minutes, before someone knocked at the door. Blake folded her ears against her head, a trick she'd picked up over the years, as Ichigo went to answer it, and saw Yang standing there, Al, Ruby, and Damian behind her, all of them dressed for the cold weather.

"Wake up lazy bones!" She said.

"What do you want Yang?" Blake asked. It's not that she didn't like her partner, but she and Ichigo were enjoying a VERY nice moment.

"Well, Christmas vacation, snow, nothing to do…isn't it obvious? Snowball fight!" Yang said. "So get dressed and get your asses out here!"

"Alright. We'll be out in 15 minutes." Ichigo said as he closed the door.

"Are you really sure we should?" Blake asked, and Ichigo smirked.

"Oh yeah. When Yang gets all worked up…well, you'll see."

15 minutes later

Ichigo was dressed in his regular Quincy gear, as the material was thick enough so that he could be warm in the cold, yet light enough that he could wade it in the summer without sweating like a waterfall. Blake was wearing a black jacket over a violet long-sleeve shirt and her regular leggings under a pair of dark blue jeans, a stocking cap covering her Faunus ears. The others were all wearing winter versions of their regular attire, meaning there were only minor differences from their usual appearance. Yang wore yellow leggings under her shorts and a long-sleeve shirt under her jacket: Ruby still had her trademark cloak and combat skirt, but now she wore a red beanie on her head; Damian had ditched his regular suit for a blue jacket and pants, while Al's appearance remained the same, with the exception of a slightly bulkier jacket.

"So we gonna do this or what?" Yang asked.

"Don't be so impatient. Don't you think we should do teams?" Ruby asked.

"That's a good point. Let's see…" Yang said, tapping her chin in thought. "Ichigo and Blake, you two are team Catberry! Y'know, because Blake's bow and her eyes kinda make her look like a cat!"

'Goddammit Nora.' Ichigo and Blake thought.

"Ruby and Damian, you two are Team…team…team Doctor!"

"Team Doctor?" Damian asked.

"You know, your initials combined spell 'Dr' which is sort for doctor." Yang explained.

"Makes sense. Kinda." Ruby said.

"And me and Al are team Firebird!" Yang said.

"Don't forget us." A voice said, and they both turned to see Ed and Weiss standing there.

"I thought you two already left." Ichigo said.

"The benefits of having a private jet: you leave when you want." Weiss said. "So, we thought we'd drop by and say goodbye to everyone."

"But we didn't expect was that you four weren't home at 9 in the morning. Luckily, your aunt, lovely woman by the way, told us you were at Carrot Top's house." Ed said.

"Alright, four team brawl!" Yang exclaimed. "You two are team Frosty Knight!"

"Alright, we need some rules." Ichigo said. "No semblances, so that means Weiss can't use her glyphs, Ruby can't use her speed, and so on and so forth."

'Damn.' Ruby and Weiss thought.

"Second: no weapons." He took off his bracelet that generated his Ginrei Kojaku, and held out his hand. Yang and Ruby sighed before placing their Ember Cecilia and Crescent Rose respectively in his hands. Ichigo held out his hand for Al.

"Come on, do I look like I'm armed?" He asked, and everyone looked at him. He sighed, before reaching into his boot and retrieving what looked like a small crossbow, complete with a clip of three arrows.

"Third: no biting, punching, clawing, kicking, or pulling off clothing, be it hat, shirt, or pants." Ichigo said.

"Seems fair." Damian said.

"Fourth: the whole property is the battlefield. That includes the backyard and front yard."

"Sweet." Al said.

"And fifth: no channeling aura into your throw. Don't be that asshole who throws ice cold snow at 25 miles per hour." Ichigo said, looking at his teammates and Yang.

"Alright, so let's get-" Yang started, when a snowball hit her face.

"Started." Blake said, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Oh you are so dead bookworm." Yang said.

The next 30 minutes went by in a blur, with all four teams getting pelted from one another. However, the real show was about to begin. Yang and Al were taking cover behind a tree, hoping to escape the deadly accuracy of Damian and Ruby. "It won't be long before they get us." Yang said.

"As long as we stay hidden, we should be fine. They can't hit what they can't see." Al said. At the same time, Ruby and Damian were having a similar discussion.

"We could try and flank them, but they might have already gotten plenty of ammunition." Ruby said.

"I've got a way to flush them out." Damian said, and he quickly packed snow into a ball. He carefully aimed, and threw it at the branch team Firebird was hiding under. The chain reaction was instantaneous, and a pile of snow fell off the branch and onto the brawler and archer.

"Cross you little-! I'll get you for this!" Al yelled as he and Yang desperately tried to free themselves from the snow.

"Almost…there!" Yang said, and they both tumbled out of the pile. However, no one expected what would happen.

The two landed on one another, and their lips ended up touching. It was only for a second, but to those two it seemed to drag on a lot longer than that. They pulled away, their faces almost as red as Ruby's cloak. "S-sorry about that." Al stuttered out.

"D-don't worry about it. Accidents happen." Yang said.

"Well, I certainly didn't see that coming." Damian said.

"I wish I had a camera." Ruby said. "Watch this. Hey sis! You and your boyfriend done making out over there!"

"Oh shut up Ruby!" Yang said.

"Yang and Al, sittin in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Ruby said.

"Oh that's it!" Yang said, her eyes turning red as her hair glowed.

"I thought semblances weren't allowed." Damian said.

"Trust me. This is something you don't wanna miss." Ruby said. Yang tried to pick up some snow , but it melted right in her hand.

"Oh come on!" She yelled, and kept trying to make more snowballs, only for them to melt in her hands. She growled, and eventually a perfect circle had melted around her.

"Does this happen every year?" Damian asked.

"Yep. It's still pretty funny." Ruby said.

"Yang, calm down." Al said, placing his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him, before her red eyes returned to their usual lilac color as she took a deep breath, the glow from her hair subsiding.

"Well that was something." Damian said. "Wonder what's happening with the others."

Ichigo dodged a snowball from Weiss and threw one of his own, but Ed blocked it and threw another one, only for Blake to nail him in the face. "Suck it Green Bean!" Ichigo yelled as he high-fived his girlfriend.

"Listen Carrot Top, if you think that's gonna take me out, you're mistaken!" Ed yelled, and used both his hands to make a large snowball as Ichigo did the same.

"You're going down Traffic Light!" Ichigo yelled, and they both tossed their snowballs at the same time. They hit their intended targets, throwing both of them on the ground.

"Have you two ever heard of a phrase called 'overkill'?" Weiss asked. "Cause I'm pretty sure this is the textbook definition."

"Shut up." Ed said as Weiss helped him up, as Blake did the same with Ichigo.

"How about we call this one a draw?" Blake said.

"Sounds good." Ichigo said.

20 minutes later

"Are you sure you guys can't stay any longer?" Ruby asked.

"Sorry, but we need to hurry up and get to White Castle." Ed said, before Weiss reached into her purse and brought out a wrapped package, handing it to Ruby.

"Here you go Ruby." Weiss said.

"What's this?" Ruby asked.

"It's…an apology. I'm sorry I acted like such a bitch at the start of the year." Weiss said, and Ruby unwrapped it, before gasping in shock.

"T-t-t-this is the D-90 scope that can zoom up to 100 times!" She exclaimed. "But these aren't out for another two months. How'd you get one?" Weiss smirked at this.

"Being the Heiress to the world's largest Dust manufacturer has its advantages." She said, and got a book-shaped package out and handed it to Blake. "I have a feeling you might like this one." Weiss said with a wink that everyone but Blake failed to notice. Blake raised an eyebrow and unwrapped it. Her eyes widened when she read 'Samurai of Passion' on the cover, and her cheeks burned, and she hid it under the wrapping paper.

"H-how-?" She stuttered. Did Weiss find her secret stash underneath her bed?

"Trade secret." Weiss said. Yep, she definitely found Blake's stash.

"What about me?" Yang asked.

"Yours is a little…big, so we left it at your house." Weiss said. "You'll understand when you see it."

"Merry Christmas guys. See you in two weeks." Ed said, and he and Weiss exited.

"Well, that was fun." Ichigo said, and noticed Al and Yang avoiding making eye contact with one another. "What's with these two?" Ichigo whispered to Damian. The gunslinger explained what happened, and Ichigo nodded knowingly. Yang wasn't the most…vocal when it came to expressing her feelings, at least when it came to boys, but Ichigo had known her long enough to know that something was up.

"So, do you four plan on staying?" Blake asked.

"Sorry, but we promised Aunt Sarah we'd be back by lunch." Ruby said. "Besides, I need to get into my workshop and give my baby her new toy." She said, unfolding her scythe and stroking it.

"Have we ever told you how creepy that is?" Yang asked.

"Yes. Almost 186 times." Ruby said, folding her scyfle back up.

"Well, see you guys around." Ichigo said as the four left. "That was an eventful day." He said, wrapping his arm around Blake.

"Day?" Blake asked. "It's not even lunch yet."

"Really?" Ichigo asked, then checked his watch. "It's gonna be a long two weeks."

Rose/Xiao Long household

"Aunt Sarah, we're home!" Yang called.

"I'm in here!" Came a female voice from the kitchen. The four peeked in, and a brunette woman was currently fixing some sort of soup. "So how was Ichigo's? Glynda told me he's dating someone now."

"Yup. He's with my partner Blake. The one I told you about in my letters." Yang said.

"Well, she must be quite a woman if she managed to work her way into Ichigo's heart." Sarah said.

"Lunch smells delicious Mrs. Rose." Al said.

"Thank you Al. Yang, that other teammate of yours and her boyfriend dropped something off for you. It's in the garage." Sarah said. Yang left the kitchen, a scream sounded throughout the house. Al drew the small crossbow, Damian grabbed a knife, and Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose as they ran into the garage.

"Sis, what's wrong?" Ruby asked, and they saw Yang on her knees, tears pouring down her face.

"It's so beautiful…" she said, and they all followed her gaze. Standing in the garage was the Bumblebee, Yang's prized motorcycle. A month after school started, a drunk driver totaled the bike. Luckily, Yang hadn't been on it at the time, as she had been in the diner the bike had been parked by. Of course, that didn't stop her from nearly killing the driver. She hadn't been able to get the money to fix her bike, and the chance of seeing her precious Bumblebee again lowered each day.

"Weiss really pulled out all the stops on this one." Damian said.

"I take back all those nasty things I ever said about her." Yang said.

"Yeah, we're just gonna leave you two alone." Ruby said, and the three backed away.

Three Days Later, December 25

"That dragged on forever." Blake said as she undid her bow. "No offense, but your family is crazy." Today, the Goodwitch family visited. It was an endless torrent of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, all of them going on about 'how pretty Blake was' of 'how they never thought Ichigo would get a girlfriend.'

"Trust me, we know." Glynda said as she poured herself a glass of wine.

"At least it's over." Ichigo said. "I love them, but they're a little much sometimes."

"Your better get used to it Blake. I get the feeling you're gonna be with us for a long time." Glynda said, when Ichigo got up.

"I'll be right back." He said, and went upstairs to his room. A minute later, he returned holding a small box. "Here Blake, this is for you."

"You didn't have to get me anything. Just having a place to spend the holidays is enough." Blake said.

"Take it. Please." Ichigo said, and Blake took the box. She opened it, and gasped at the contents.

It was the cross Ichigo wore around his neck, the one that was the only thing his birth parents left him. "This…this is the only trace you have of your birth parents." Blake said "Why are you giving this to me?"

"Because you're important to me. VERY important. So is this cross. So, I figured I'd let the person most important to me hold onto the object that's most important." Ichigo said. Blake looked at the necklace, before she put it on.

"Thank you, Ichigo." She said.

"Merry Christmas Blake." Ichigo said, and the two came together for a passionate kiss.

**A/N: Christmas Special DONE motherfuckers! All you Firebird (my name for Al/Yang) fans can look forward to future chapters! Also, what do you think would happen if Penny and Caboose would meet?**


	10. Chapter 10: Jaundice

Chapter 10: Jaunedice

**A/N: Second half of season one is here! Arkos, Noren, Firebird, Cross Hare(Damian/Velvet), and Blue Rose(Ruby/Romeo), more of Team CDVR, Cinder's plans…all can be expected in this exciting second half! Now, I'm going to take a moment to explain the differences between my OC's attitudes in this story as Emerald Knight: in Emerald Knight, the main teams have gone from one crisis to another, with little breathing room. Here, they're just teenagers learning how to fight monsters, and dealing with regular teenage life.**

Cinder stood in her warehouse, looking over the map of Vale. 'Soon, Francisco…' she thought. 'I'll avenge you and dear Neliel…my love.' She was shaken out of her thoughts by Marcus entering the warehouse. "Have there been anymore developments at Beacon?" She asked.

"Other than me wanting to barf at the sight of Kurosaki and his girlfriend acting all lovey-dovey with each other? Not really." The blue haired Arrancar said. "The Arc boy is still a bumbling fool, but he has potential. That teammate of his, the tournament champion, seems to harbor some sort of romantic feelings towards him, and she could help him become a decent warrior. Cleo is itching to take out Ruby Rose, and I don't know how long I'll be able to keep her from doing something stupid that could jeopardize our plans."

"Cleo always was the hot-headed one out of our little group." Cinder said. "I have the upmost faith that you'll be able to keep her in check."

"Thank you, M'Lady. Now, there's something I must ask you." Marcus said. "Kurosaki and his classmates will be taking a field trip to the forest or Forever Fall next week. It will provide an opportunity for me to gauge where his abilities are at."

"Do it. Out of all the hunters, Huntresses, and warriors out there, Kurosaki is the one that poses the largest threat." Cinder said. "He possesses more natural spiritual pressure than any warrior alive, except for the Three Legendary Captains and the Head Captain, and there's always the possibility of his Shinigami or Hollow powers awakening. If those awaken, he could ruin our plans. Test him, but do not kill him. I want to see how the rest of his abilities develop."

"Very well, Lady Cinder. I have just the specimen in mind for this." Marcus said, disappearing from the room with Sonido.

Beacon Academy

Ruby ducked under an arrow and fired bullets from her Crescent Rose, and Ichigo used Blut: Vene as they impacted his body. Ruby charged and slashed with her Crescent Rose, but Ichigo used Hirenkyaku to dodged and he reappeared behind Ruby, a Seele Schneider poised at her neck. "End Match." Glynda said, an the two team leaders dispersed their weapons. "That was a great display from both of you, but I only have a few critisicms. Ruby, Ichigo, please check your aura display." She ordered, and Ruby did so. Her aura was in the red, while Ichigo's was only in the yellow. "Your primary mistake is that you both use your aura too fast. Remember, in combat, once you run out of aura, you're as good as dead." Glynda said. "That being said, Ichigo, while you possess an incredible amount of aura, more than even myself, your control over it is a bit…lacking."

"Please." Cardin snorted. "Like the momma's boy actually has more aura than the rest of us."

"Mr. Winchester, I suggest you refrain from commenting on the fighting style of others when your own lacks in certain areas." Glynda said.

"I'm serious! All he does is just flit around the battlefield and use a bunch of flashy tricks to make it look like he actually has any fighting skills." Cardin said.

"Well, if I remember correctly, wasn't it you he took out in one move?" Glynda said, a smirk on her face as Cardin sneered. "Now, if you and Mr. Arc will please take your places, we will begin the next match."

"So, Cardin seems to hate you. Care to tell us what that's about?" Al asked as Ichigo sat next to his team.

"I kicked his ass a few months ago." Ichigo said as Cardin and Jaune began to spar.

"Well you can't just leave it at that." Damian said. "Details man!"

"You guys really want to know?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes." Ed said.

"Alright. It was about seven months ago…"

Seven months ago

It was the Cross-Reigonal Skill Exhibition, and right now they were in the tournament stage. Up first was Ichigo vs Cardin. "Give him hell Ichigo!" Yang cheered, and Ichigo faced the Armored Asshat himself.

"Ready to put your money where your mouth is, mamma's boy?" Cardin taunted, and Ichigo threw a Ginto at Cardin. Cardin didn't think anything of it as it came near him, until Ichigo started chanting.

"A silver rod strikes the five-fingered stone bed- Gritz!" He yelled, and Cardin was encased in a capsule-like container.

"Let me out of here!" Cardin yelled. However, the match was already over, and his reputation had been forever damaged.

Now

"One move? Really?" Ed asked, and Ichigo nodded.

"Trust me, his bark is worse than his bite." The Quincy said, and noticed Pyrrha looked worried. "Is something wrong Pyrrha?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing's wrong." Pyrrha said, but her face betrayed her.

"Tell us the truth Pyrrha. Something's bugging you, and we want to know what is." Al said.

"Well, it's…Jaune." Pyrrha said. "He has so much potential, yet he doubts himself, so much that it keeps him from realizing that potential." She sighed, watching as Jaune blocked a swing from Cardin. "He's always saying that I should be the leader instead, but deep down, I know he doesn't think that. All he needs is a push. I just want to help him become the leader he's meant to be."

"Well why don't you?" Ed asked, and Pyrrha raised an eyebrow as she looked at him.

"Why don't I what?" She asked.

"Y'know, help him become stronger." Damian said. "You said it yourself, he needs a push. So why don't you be the one to do it?"

"Y'know, that's a good idea." She said. "Thanks guys.

"Well, what else would you expect from Team IDEA?" Yang asked, coming out of nowhere.

"Goddammit Barb." Ichigo said, then blinked. "I have no idea why I just said that."

"How much of that did you hear?" Ed asked.

"Only the part about the good idea. The rest I'm totally lost on." Yang said.

"And that's all you need to know." Pyrrha said, and Yang shuffled uncomfortably when she saw a certain half-Faunus ex-Mercenary.

"H-hey Al. How's it going?" She said, avoiding eye contact.

"Y'know, same old same old." He said, and his three teammates rolled their eyes. Yang was obviously still thinking about what had happened on the first day of the break, and either Al was oblivious to that fact, or he didn't care. Sometimes he could be EXTREMELY hard headed.

"Is he really that dense?" Ichigo muttered.

"This guy can take down three armed men while blindfolded, yet he can't figure out a girl likes him. I honestly don't know." Ed said.

"Are we gonna have to end up locking these two in a room to get it through his thick skull?" Damian said.

"Remember everyone…" Glynda said as Jaune and Cardin returned to his seat, with the former nursing a few bruises. "…the Vytal festival is only a few months away! It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!"

Cafeteri

" "So! There we were, in the middle of the night..." Nora said. Romeo, Pyrrha, Ruby, Deezal, Damian, Al, and Velvet were politely listening, Weiss was filing her nails, Chain was reading a book on social skills, Yang was listening intently, and Blake, Ichigo, and Ed were doing some homework.

"It was day." Ren corrected.

"We were surrounded by Ursi…" Nora said.

"They were Beowolves." Ren said.

"Dozens of them!" Nora exclaimed.

"Two of them." Ren stated.

"But they were no match for us! And in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a butt load of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!" Nora finished.

"She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now." Ren said.

"Weird." Deezal said.

"Jaune, are you ok?" Pyrrha asked

"Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?" Jaune said.

"Because you look NOT ok." Ruby said, and everyone noticed Jaune nervously glancing behind them. They looked and saw Team CRDL picking on a boy who had wolf ears.

"Jaune, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school." Damian said.

"Who, Cardin Winchester? Nah, he just likes to joke around." Jaune said.

"No, he's a bully." Velvet said. "Believe me, I know."

"Please, name one time he's bullied me!" Jaune said.

"All those times he knocked your books out of your hands." Yang said.

"When he made your shield expand while you were walking through a doorway." Romeo said.

"That time he shoved you in a locker and launched you into the forest." Deezal said.

"I didn't land that far from the school!" Jaune said.

"Jaune, if you need help, you know you can just ask for it." Suddenly, Nora grinned diabolically.

"Ooh! We'll break his legs!" She said.

"I'm in." Ed said.

"Same." Ichigo said, and they both received the same incredulous looks from their girlfriends. "What? It's not like he wouldn't have it coming."

"Guys, it's fine! Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me. He's a jerk to everyone!" Jaune said, and the wolf Faunus growled at CRDL.

"Ha! I told you they were real." Cardin said.

"What a freak!" Russell said as the other two assholes laughed.

"Hey Al, hand me that apple." Damian said, and his three teammates smirked, knowing what was coming. Al handed him the apple, and Damian's pupils turned into the shape of a cross. He threw the apple, and it hit Sky in the head before it bounced off and hit Dove in the groin, ricocheting and hitting Russell in the nose before finally splattering against Cardin's face.

"Who did that? Come on, fight me like a man!" Cardin said. Everyone turned to Damian, and his pupils returned to normal.

"That was one durable apple." Damian said.

"What was that?" Ruby asked.

"My semblance. Normally I'm pretty damn accurate, but with that activated I can literally make impossible shots." Damian said, and they all watched as the wolf Faunus ran away.

"It must be hard being a Faunus." Yang said, and Blake nodded.

"You get used to the taunts after a while." Deezal said. "People tend to stop when you feed them their teeth."

"I hate people like that." Ichigo said. "Picking on people for something that they can't control…it makes me sick."

"Trust me, you're not the only one." Romeo said.

One Week Later

Teams IDEA, RWBY, JNPR, CRDL, and CDVR were all gathered at the airship ports, waiting for Glynda. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm looking toward to this trip. I hear Forever Fall is lovely this time of year." Velvet said.

"Well maybe we should just leave you there with the rest of the wild animals." Cardin said.

"If you don't want to find out what the inside of the ICU is, I suggest you shut your mouth." Damian said.

"You think you can take me? I'd like to see you try." Cardin said as he brought out his mace.

"Gladly." Damian said as he started to undo Crucifix's wrappings.

"Eh hem." Glynda said, breaking up the fight before it begin. "Save it for the Grimm, you two." She said, and they glared at each other before putting their weapons away.

"This isn't over." Cardin said.

"Not by a long shot." Damian said, and walked over to Nora. "Count me in." He whispered, and she nodded, nearly squealing with excitement.

3 hours later, Forever Fall

Everyone got off the airship, stretching their legs after the long flight over. "Professor Peach wants you all to gather one jar of red tree sap. Those who fail will have to be a teaching assistant during their free periods for two weeks." Glynda said, and everyone looked confused.

"That doesn't really seem like too bad a punishment." Blake said. Most of the teachers that required assistants were pretty interesting, at least to her.

"For Professor Stein's class." Everyone cringed as Glynda said that. The man was a bona fide, grade A, lunatic. Whoever cleared him to teach must have been crazy. "You will have two hours to gather the sap." Everyone got with their partners and dispersed. Jaune tried to move towards Pyrrha, only for Cardin to grab his shoulder.

"C'mon Jauney boy, we've got some sap to get." He said, and his teammates gave their jars to Jaune. He cast one last look at Pyrrha, who was already walking away, before sighing.

Marcus stood on a cliff, looking over the group. "Man, that Arc boy can't catch a break." He said out loud. "Between him throwing up on the ship, those horrid pajamas, his landing strategy, being thrown by that Deathstalker, and now the Armored Asshat? Man, I never thought I'd feel sympathy for a human." Marcus said. "But first things first." He looked to where Ichigo and Ed were gathering sap.

Ed and Ichigo were gathering sap of their own. "So, have you noticed Jaune's been acting weird for about a week?" Ichigo asked.

"You'd have to be an idiot not too. I mean, who hangs out with CRDL of their own free will?" Ed said, and thy both finished filing their sap jars.

"That's a good question." A voice said above them, and they both looked to see Marcus standing on air.

"Who are you, and how are you doing that?" Ed asked, placing his hand on his sword.

"My name isn't important. Neither is worrying about your classmates." Marcus said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ichigo asked, activating his Ginrei Kojaku.

"I'm talking about the Ursa Major heading towards them." Marcus said, and the two sets of eyes widened. "But like I said, that's not important." Marcus said, and a sword appeared at his side. It was a katana, with a blue sheath. He drew it, light-blue blade glinting in the sunlight. "I hope you're ready for me…Quincy." Ichigo was stunned speechless. "That's right. I know all about what you are.

'How does he know that name? I haven't told anyone about the Quincy, not even my mom or Blake!' Ichigo thought.

"The hell is he talking about?" Ed asked.

"Don't worry about it." Ichigo said, and Ed drew Arbiter and Black King.

"That's cute." Marcus said, suddenly appearing behind them.

'I didn't even see him move! What the hell is this guy?!' Ed thought, and he slashed at Marcus's neck with Arbiter, only for Marcus to lazily bring up his sword and block it. The force caused the blade to crack, and Ed felt the nerve endings of his arm scream in pain. 'That felt like I hit a brick wall!'

"Pathetic." Marcus said, and kicked Ed in the chest, sending him flying back. "Doesn't even live up to the stories." Marcus used Sonido to dodge a few arrows from Ichigo's bow, and brought up his sword to block a Seele Schneider. However, four Ginto sailed through the air, and a Heizen hit him square in the chest, knocking him back. "Impressive, Quincy. A Heizen without the incantation that was enough to break my hierro…not bad."

"How do you know that name?" Ichigo asked, another Seele Schneider nocked and aimed at Marcus's head.

"I know a lot about you, even more than you do about yourself." Marcus said. "But all YOU need to know is that I'm attacking you, and he's unconscious." Marcus said, gesturing to Ed. He charged Ichigo, who used the Seele Schneider he had nocked to try and block Marcus's sword, only for the blade to break through the energy sword. Ichigo activated Blut: Vene as his hand quickly snapped out and grabbed it, and tried kicking Marcus in the groin, only for pain to travel up his leg. He used Blut: Arterie to increase his strength, and punched Marcus in the face, but it didn't even make him flinch.

"What the fuck are you?! Are you attacking me because of Blake?" He asked.

"You mean your girlfriend? Like a half-Faunus would ever capture my attention on her own. If they had never met you, I probably wouldn't have payed any attention to anyone at Beacon." Marcus said.

"You're talking like you're not human." Ichigo said.

"Oh you have no idea how right you are." Marcus said, and leaned in close. "Listen here, Ichigo Kurosaki. You are a part of a world that you have no idea about. One day, we will meet again, and when that day comes, you'll have to answer to my mistress." Marcus then used a Bala to create a smokescreen, and when it cleared, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Dammit." Ichigo said, and Ed started to stir, before slowly rising off the ground.

"Why do I feel like a freight train roundhouse kicked my stomach." He said.

"Probably because he hits like one." Ichigo said, and they each grabbed their sap, miraculously undamaged by the battle. "C'mon, we need to help the others.

"So Al…" Damian said as he stuck a faucet into a tree. "…what's going on between you and Yang?"

"Don't know what you're talking about." Al said. "What happened last month was an accident." However, Damian heard a slight hesitation in Al's voice.

"Oh my god. You like Yang." Damian said, and Al's cheeks reddened.

"N-no. What are you talking about?" Al said.

"So how long have you liked her?" Damian asked.

"When we were in the forest for the second time." Al said. "The whole time I just…I can't put it into words." Damian chuckled.

"Well I wish you the best of luck, my friend." Damian said.

"And I wish you the same with Velvet." Al said, and Damian quickly looked away.

"I don't know who you're talking about." He said, and Al laughed.

"Alright. I believe you." Al said, when a low growl sounded behind them. "Is that a-"

"Yep." Damian said, and they both dodged a slash from an Ursa Major. They were just like regular Ursa, except Majors are larger and had bony protrusions on its back.

"I thought hibernation wasn't over for another month!" Al said as they began to head back towards the others.

"Apparently no one told him!" Damian said.

Cardin handed Jaune a jar of sap. "So Jaune, I need you to do me a favor." Cardin said. "There are are a few know-it-alls that have opened their big mouths one too many times." Cardin said. "Her." He pointed at Pyrrha. "That thing." He pointed at Chain. "Her." He pointed at Blake. "And Kurosaki." He said through gritted teeth. "I fucking HATE that guy! Thinks he can make a fool out of me and get away with it. Well not anymore! No one fucks with me and gets away with it!"

"You tell him boss!" Russell said.

"Shut up Russell." Cardin said. "Now Jaune, in order to prove you're loyalty, I need you to take out your little teammate first." He pointed at Pyrrha.

"No!" Jaune said. "I won't hurt her just because she's smarter than you!"

"Bad move Jaune. Wouldn't it be a shame if Goodwitch found out about your false transcripts?" Cardin said, and Jaune just looked at the ground. "That's what I thought. Now do it!" Jaune sighed before picking up the jar of sap.

'Is this really worth it?' He thought. 'Is it worth becoming a Hunter if I have to hurt the ones I care about?' He clenched its jaw. 'I don't care what happens to me, but in not going to hurt her!' Jaune then threw the jar at Cardin, the red sap splattering on his armor.

"Why you little shit!" Cardin roared, grabbing Jaune by his collar. The air vibrated for a split-second, before a flash of light filled the air, forcing Cardin to let go.

"What the hell was that?" Jaune muttered, looking at his hands.

"Ursa Major!" Al yelled as he and Damian ran out of the forest. They ran past the five, and the large Grimm appeared and knocked Cardin aside.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha yelled, and Jaune looked at her, before looking back to Cardin. He ran towards his tormentor, and leapt between him and the Grimm, drawing his weapon as he did.

"What the hell is that idiot doing?!" Weiss said.

"Al, Damian, you two go get help." Ruby said.

"On It!" Damian said.

"Wait, where are Ichigo and Ed?" Blake asked.

"Don't know. I think they went a little further into the forest." Al said, before running off.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Weiss asked.

"Wait." Pyrrha said.

"Wait?! He's gonna be Ursa food if we don't help!" Weiss said.

"Listen to her." Ruby said. "Can't you feel it? There's something…different about Jaune." Ruby said, and Weisz was about to ask her what she meant, when she felt it. It was slight, but the air seemed to be heavier around Jaune. Was this his semblance? No, it was something else, something vaguely familiar. Then she realized it: she felt it whenever Ichigo got mad. Whenever someone messed with his friends, the air seemed to grow thick for a split-second. His mother had said that he had more aura than the rest of them. Was this the case with Jaune? The spectator's jaws dropped as they watched Jaune fight the Ursa, not letting his guard down for a second, displaying skill they had never seen from him before. It was only when he brought up his sword to swing that his guard was down, and the Ursa raised its claw to swipe at him. Pyrrha's hand got a dark glow around it, and Jaune's shield snapped up to block the claw. He then raised his sword and chopped the Grimm's head clean off. He walked over to Cardin, and looked down at him.

"Listen here Cardin. If you ever mess with me, or my friends, or anyone else, I WILL make you regret it. Understand?" Jaune asked.

"Crystal." Cardin said, and Jaune extended his hand. Cardin took it, and Al and Damian returned with Glynda.

"What on Vytal happened here?" She asked.

"An Ursa Major came out of nowhere, and Jaune killed it all by myself." Ruby said. Glynda's mouth dropped for a second, before she collected herself.

"Is this true, mr. Arc?" The huntress asked.

"Well…" Jaune started, unsure of what to say. He had felt Pyrrha use her polarity semblance to move his arm, and he didn't want to take credit for something he didn't do.

"I saw the whole thing. Jaune did everything on his own." Pyrrha said. "Right Jaune?"

"Uh, yeah!" Jaune said. At that moment, Ichigo and Ed ran out of the forest.

"Guys, there's a Ursa Major-" Ichigo started, when he noticed the Ursa Major Corpse. "Oh. Well, never mind then."

"Where have you two been?" Weiss asked.

"We went further into the Forest than we thought." Ed said.

"But how'd you two know about the Ursa?" Al asked.

"We were-" Ed started to explain what happened with Marcus, but Ichigo cut him off.

"We found some tracks, and we figured it would head to where there was a large concentration of Aura." Ichigo said, and Ichigo looked at Ed, his eyes saying 'drop it.'

"Right. That's exactly what happened." Ed said.

"I see." Glynda said. She could tell Ichigo wasn't telling the whole truth, but she knew he had to have good reasons for doing so. "Well, I believe that is enough excitement for one day. Return to the ship in five minutes, and we will depart." She said, and walked away.

"Ah crap." Jaune said. Between Cardin's demands and the Ursa, he hadn't had time to gather any sap of his own. "Is five minutes enough time to get a jar full of sap?" He asked himself, and was about to run for the nearest tree, when Cardin handed him a had full of sap.

"Here." The bully said. "Don't think this means we're friends." Cardin said. "I just always repay my debts, and you saved my life. So take it, and I won't tell the professor about you-know-what." Jaune was speechless, but he took the sap anyway.

"Well, uh, thanks!" Jaune said.

"Whatever." Cardin said, walking away.

"What was Cardin talking about?" Ruby asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about." Jaune said. 'Maybe, just maybe…there's hope for me here after all.' He thought, looking at Pyrrha.

**A/N: finally this chapter is done! I'm sorry I didn't go more into detail with the Jaune vs Ursa fight, but that's one of those things that doesn't need to be detailed. Now, regarding the Ichigo vs Marcus fight: before any of you go 'ur story sux. U make Ichigo look like a bitch.' Or 'Ichigo beat Aizen so he could easily kill that blue haired loser', I want to make one thing very clear: this is NOT canon Ichigo. This is an Ichigo who grew up in the world of RWBY and developed his Quincy powers before his Shinigami powers. So while he's still powerful, he's not at the whole 'I go Bankai and beat everything' stage he is in canon, so don't expect him to be able to fight one of the three Arrancars and come out victorious. Also, remember to check out the spin off of this fic, 'CDVR', by Ghost Flame 6. It follows team CDVR, and with my permission he held an OC submission contest for his story, creating teams 'MJSK' and 'SHDW'. For all of those who want to submit OC's for next season, I will hold a submission contest sometime between the season finale and the season premier of RWBY season 2. Until next time!**


End file.
